West Ham join Everton in transfer battle to sign Sunderland talent - reports

West Ham have joined Everton in the race to sign Sunderland captain Dan Neil, according to reports.

The Black Cats skipper has established himself as a vital presence for his boyhood club in recent seasons, and was rewarded for his output with the armband upon Regis Le Bris’ arrival at the Stadium of Light over the summer. Since then, Neil has once again shone in the centre of midfield, and is subsequently said to be attracting attention from the Premier League.

On Wednesday, a report from The Telegraph claimed that Everton have earmarked Neil as a target this month as they look to bolster their midfield under new manager David Moyes. The 23-year-old was a member of the Black Cats’ academy during the Scot’s ill-fated spell in the dugout on Wearside. It is claimed that Moyes sent scouts from Goodison Park to watch Sunderland’s game against Burnley at Turf Moor on Friday evening ahead of a potential transfer attempt.

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The report goes on to state: “Sunderland are expected to want at least £15 million for Neil, given recent prices of players going from the second tier to the Premier League, and with the player having 18 months left on his contract.”

As such, the national publication suggest that Everton may find it difficult to land the midfielder this month, especially given how well Sunderland are performing in the Championship. It is also understood that the Wearsiders are in ongoing discussions with Neil over a new deal.

To further complicate Everton’s pursuit, Alex Crooks of talkSPORT has suggested that top flight rivals West Ham are also keen on Neil. Again, however, the journalist goes on to emphasise the fact that Sunderland are intent on keeping hold of their captain between now and the end of the transfer window.

For his part, Neil has seemingly suggested that he is intent on seeing out Sunderland’s promotion bid on Wearside. Speaking to The Echo after a 3-2 win over Swansea City in December, Neil said: "In terms of the contract stuff, my only goal is to get us promoted this season. That's everyone's goal this season and we just need to keep plugging away. All that [contract talk etc] is background noise, I'm here and all I'm interested in is those automatic places and getting us promoted back to the Premier League."

Over the summer, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman confirmed that the club were eager to tie Neil down to a new deal. He said: "We've always tried to retain the top talent, those conversations are ongoing for a number of players.

"And I think, like I said, we try to keep a really, really close contact with the agents of all the players to know how they're feeling, where they feel they're at the minute, what they think is the next step for them, how comfortable are they with the environment, what can we do to chop and change things here to make sure they're really, really comfortable. And naturally, if anyone's got a contract they're starting to get towards the conclusion, then we're always really active on that front."