West Ham Face Battle to Land Anderlecht Star Also Tracked by Man Utd in January

West Ham have scouted out Anderlecht star Leander Dendoncker as a potential signing for the club, but may have to wait until the summer to stand a chance of getting him.

The 22-year-old has also been linked with a move to Manchester United, with Jose Mourinho supposedly a big fan of his and considered a move last summer prior to the signing of Nemanja Matic.

FRANCK FIFE/GettyImages

Strong and tall, Dendoncker is understood to perfectly fit the profile of player David Moyes is after, and he would likely adapt well to the physicality of the English Premier League.

As reported by Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck wants to play Dendoncker as a defender, but the player himself would rather stick as a holding midfielder, which could open the door for West Ham in the long run.

Anderlecht do not want to sell in January because currently the club are points adrift of First Division A leaders Club Brugge, and they want to keep hold of Dendoncker to give themselves a chance of reducing the deficit.

PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages

The Hammers are determined to strengthen in the middle of the park after missing out on Sporting CP's William Carvalho last summer. The Londoners have also been linked with moves for Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey, Stoke midfielder Joe Allen, Arsenal's Francis Coquelin.

In addition Moyes knows has also been linked with a midfielder he knows very well in Marouane Fellaini of Manchester United.

Although there is only a relatively slim chance of the club signing Dendoncker, there may be hope because the two clubs are on good terms with each other after the successful transfer of Cheikhou Kouyate in 2014.