West Ham United are back in the mix to sign Blackburn Rovers forward Ben Brereton Diaz along with Leeds United, according to this morning's update from Football Insider.

The Hammers were reportedly keeping tabs on the Chile international in the summer ahead of a potential move, although they weren't reported to have made a formal approach during the previous window.

However, Everton and Fulham did, though both were unsuccessful in their quest to strike a late deal for the 23-year-old with Rovers choosing to keep hold of him.

 

 

The forward has less than a year left on his current contract and that could mean sides from other nations in Europe could potentially strike a pre-contract agreement in January to lure him away from England next summer, with the player believed to be open to a move abroad.

And he may not have a shortage of options on the table if he did want to move away from England with Sevilla just one club reported to have taken an interest in him at this point.

But the chance to move up to the Premier League could prove to be too tempting in the end, with David Moyes' men firmly in the mix along with Leeds with the two potentially going head-to-head to secure his services either in January or next summer when he will be available for free.

The Verdict:

If you were Brereton Diaz, you probably wouldn't be signing a new deal at this stage because he could have several options on the table when next year comes along.

That's no disrespect to Blackburn - because they have a decent number of exciting young talents and look set for a bright future under current boss Jon Dahl Tomasson following the departure of Tony Mowbray.

However, they aren't guaranteed to win promotion this term despite their strong start, with other strong teams including Burnley, Sheffield United, Norwich City and Watford also likely to be in the mix during the latter stages of the season.

And looking at this potential deal from Leeds and West Ham's perspective, they will either be able to secure a cut-price deal in January or bring him in for free next summer as long as he doesn't sign a new contract.

So their sustained interest in him could be well worth it, especially when you consider the fact he's scored nine goals in 20 league appearances so far this season, continuing to impress in the second tier.