West Ham are plotting a move to sign Zeno Debast from Anderlecht, according to O Jogo (via Sport Witness).

The Portuguese publication claims that Sporting Lisbon are also interested in the Belgian, who already has six senior caps for his country despite only being 20 years of age.

Debast could be available for as little as €15m (£12.8m) plus bonuses at the end of the season, with his contract set to expire next year.

O Jogo report that West Ham have been “pressuring” Anderlecht to sell the centre-back to them but Sporting’s involvement could complicate matters.

Other Premier League teams could have an influence on where Debast goes

While the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are not thought to be interested in the Anderlecht player, they are among the clubs pursuing Sporting centre-halves Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Inacio.

The Portuguese club could raise in excess of €100m (£85m) from the sale of the pair and some of that could be reinvested in Debast. Therefore, West Ham would be wise to make an early move for the Belgian international so Sporting don’t have the chance to raise the requisite funds.

Why are West Ham pursuing the defender?

Irons captain Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd have both been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks and technical director Tim Steidten will be eyeing potential reinforcements if they do depart the London Stadium.

Of course, Debast’s inexperience would count against them but he does possess the traits to excel in the Premier League. He is 6ft 3 and, while there is some work to do in terms of his aerial ability, he is very much a modern-day centre-back.

The Belgian is a capable dribbler, and he likes to play the ball out from the back with his excellent passing range.