West Ham transfer news: Toni Martinez ‘quite close’ to signing from Valencia, confirms Slaven Bilic

Interested: Slaven Bilic hopes to sign Valencia's teenage striker
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Douglas Pyper31 March 2016

West Ham are closing in on a deal for Valencia youngster Toni Martinez, Slaven Bilic has confirmed.

Martinez, 18, is yet to make a senior appearance for his current club, but is highly rated by Bilic and his coaching staff.

Bilic said: “With Toni Martinez at Valencia, we are quite close. If we finish [the deal], we will have one of the brightest young players from Valencia.”

The Spanish forward was on the cusp of Gary Neville's first team before the English manager was sacked on Wednesday, and could be plying his trade at the Olympic Stadium in time for next season with a reported £2.4m deal on the cards.

The Hammers are currently challenging for a Champions League spot and can look forward to an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United on 13 April.

This Saturday West Ham host Crystal Palace, with Bilic wary of the threat the fellow Londoners pose despite their current run of 13 games without a win.

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“It’s still a very dangerous game for us," he told reporters on Thursday. "They have a very solid team, have pace up front, so it will be difficult for us, of course.”

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