Could Raul Meireles be on his way back to the Premier League…
Read more Chelsea rumours.
Former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles is a £3 million target for West Ham United, according to reports in the Daily Star.
The 31-year-old, who currently plays for Turkish side Fenerbahce, has recently returned home from a disappointing World Cup campaign with Portugal.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce attempted to sign the player in January, only to see his bid rejected. But now, with Fenerbahce looking to balance the books, the Premier League side could move in again.
Allardyce has already signed Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, 24, from Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee and Argentine striker Mauro Zarate, 27, this summer, and is looking to revitalise his squad still further after the departures of Joe Cole and Jack Collison.
Meireles joined Liverpool from Porto in 2010 for a fee of £11.5 million, scoring in the Merseyside derby which was also Kenny Dalglish’s first home game back as manager. He went on to score five goals in six games, including the winner against Chelsea, and was voted the PFA Player of the Month in February 2011.
In August, following a written transfer request, Meireles joined Chelsea to act as cover for the injured Michael Essien – with the fee believed to be around £12 million. He was part of the Blues Champions League winning campaign in 2011-12, but sat out the final against Bayern Munich through suspension.
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