West Ham Make £20m Bid for Sporting CP and Portugal Star Bruno Fernandes

Sporting CP are currently in the midst of a real crisis, with many players hoping to cancel their contracts with the club, and it appears as though West Ham United could be set to profit from the chaos.

Sky Sports are reporting that West Ham have submitted a £20m bid for Bruno Fernandes, who is one of the players to have asked for his contract with Sporting to be terminated.

However, it is believed that Sporting are hoping to receive a fee of around £25m before allowing Fernandes to leave the club. It is believed that one other Premier League has shown concrete interest in signing Fernandes, whilst Spanish giants Atletico Madrid also appear to be interested.

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Fernandes was part of the Portuguese setup at the World Cup this summer, but only played 88 minutes at the tournament.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a productive campaign with Sporting, making 56 appearances in all competitions. He scored 16 goals and set up a further 20 for his teammates, and his form has not gone unnoticed.

However, the situation at Sporting may drive Fernandes out of the club. An incident in May saw the team's training ground stormed by a group of supporters, and both players and staff were attacked.

Since then, players have repeatedly clashed with (now former) Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho, and several of their star players are now seeking a move away from the club.

Teammate Rui Patricio has already joined newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers, and it appears as though Fernandes could be set to join Patricio in England.

Following their attempts to terminate their contracts, Fernandes and his teammates could have been available on a free transfer, however it is believed that Sporting are trying to work out a compromise which would see them receive a cut-price transfer fee, instead of losing their players for nothing.

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Fernandes is a versatile attacker, who was primarily deployed as a central midfielder. His attacking capabilities have also seen him used as an attacking midfielder and even a second striker, meaning West Ham could be set to find a real bargain.