West Ham places £31m bid for Tottenham-linked Belgian striker

Brace yourselves, because the Michy Batshuayi sweepstakes might be kicking into gear. Today, the Guardian is reporting that West Ham, one of the other clubs interested in signing the Belgian striker, has offered a €40m (£31.5m) bid to Marseille for Batshuayi. If true, and if the bid were to be accepted, it would obliterate West Ham's transfer fee record for a single player (that being £15.5m back in 2013 for Andy Carroll).

We talk a lot about Michy because he's a pretty freakin' amazing prospect and would provide instant competition – and cover – for Harry Kane. Nobody expected him to go for cheap, but this is the first solid indication that someone not-Tottenham are going for him.

If the battle is between Spurs and West Ham it'll be an interesting one. I'd guess both clubs would probably offer more or less the same in terms of wages, and both are London clubs, so it would come down to where he'd prefer to go. At West Ham he'd be the lock-down starter from day one and would provide a pretty fun tandem with Dimitri Payet (assuming nobody snaps him up this summer as well). Spurs, on the other hand, can promise Champions League football on a team with a proven record of developing young talent, but with the knowledge that he's still second fiddle to Harry Edward Kane.

Look, it's still stupid early to talk about bids being accepted, yadda yadda yadda. But whether or not Marseille accept the bid or not, this is a pretty strong signal that, if they really want him, Spurs are in for a battle for his signature this summer. Buckle up.