West Ham transfer target Bilal El Khannouss can be signed for £22.5m this summer, according to reports.

TalkSPORT claim that Leicester City’s relegation from the Premier League triggered a release clause in the Moroccan international’s contract.

The Hammers, Sunderland and Monaco were all linked with signing El Khannouss in the French press earlier this week, with the Black Cats said to be the likeliest to make an offer.

However, talkSPORT believe that Nottingham Forest and Everton are also in the mix, with the buyout fee seemingly attracting plenty of attention.

Leicester paid £20m to bring El Khannouss to England last summer, so his availability for a price only slightly more than that makes him a tempting target.

Why are West Ham interested in the player?

El Khannouss is an attacking midfielder by trade so it stands to reason that head coach Graham Potter and head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay have looked at him as a potential replacement for Lucas Paqueta.

Even if the Brazilian is cleared of spot-fixing allegations by the FA, he is not expected to stay at the London Stadium, with a return to his former club Flamengo being touted.

El Khannouss is not the only target under consideration

In addition to the 21-year-old, the Irons hold an interest in Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, Manchester City’s Jack Grealish and Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey.

The first two could cost in excess of £40m while the third is priced at around the £30m mark. El Khannouss’s release clause means he could be purchased for considerably less than those options.

At the moment, West Ham have not gone beyond initial enquiries but it is a story to keep a close eye on over the coming days and weeks.

In other news, Graham Potter is ‘open’ to signing a Manchester City winger this summer but there is a catch