West Ham and Everton are battling it out for the signature of Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, according to reports in the Italian media.

The Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sosfanta.com) have claimed that the two teams have “come forward” to express their interest in signing the former Aston Villa player, who is rated at close to €40m (£35m).

It is believed that Juve are looking to get rid of Luiz due to his high salary, and Gazzetta say the Serie A side are confident that the Brazilian can be offloaded “on loan with an obligation to buy”.

That arrangement would suit the Hammers, with the club keen to limit their overall spending this summer due to PSR concerns.

Luiz has been linked with several Premier League teams

Journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed last month that Manchester United had been offered the 27-year-old as part of a swap deal for Jadon Sancho. However, the Red Devils did not accept the offer.

Nottingham Forest have also been mentioned as another possible suitor for Luiz, who has struggled for game time since swapping England for Italy last year.

West Ham are looking at more than one midfielder

Reinforcing the centre of the pitch is definitely a priority for head coach Graham Potter and head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay. Over the past week, the Irons have been discussing potential deals for Liverpool pair Tyler Morton and Harvey Elliott.

There is also thought to be interest in Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes, in addition to Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey. Furthermore, the London club are reportedly among the teams weighing up a bid for former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka. The 32-year-old could leave Bayer Leverkusen before the transfer window closes, with an offer of around £10m likely to be enough to secure his services.

In other news, fans have been debating whether West Ham should buy a Championship midfielder