According to reports in The Mirror, West Ham United are ready to make a second bid for Newcastle United centre-back Jamaal Lascelles having seen one offer rejected, but their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur must hijack any move.

What's the word, then?

Well, The Mirror says that the Irons are ready to step up their bid to bring the Magpies captain to the London Stadium having already seen a £25m offer turned down.

It is no surprise that Manuel Pellegrini wants to strengthen his centre-back options given the east London club had the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League last term, and Lascelles would be a potential partner at the back for the likes of Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna during the 2018/19 campaign.

The Mirror add that Newcastle have insisted that the 24-year-old is not for sale, but a giant offer may be too much for Mike Ashley to turn down if it allows Benitez to strengthen all areas of his squad.

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Why should Tottenham hijack a move?

While Spurs do have Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez at the heart of their defence, the doubts over the future of Toby Alderweireld should mean that Mauricio Pochettino, who should make a shock swoop for an England ace if Liverpool sign a Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, makes bringing a new centre-back to the club a priority this summer.

Lascelles proved for Newcastle last year what a good defender and leader he is, and there seems little doubt that he could be a huge player already for one of the top clubs in the Premier League because of the attributes that he has.

With Alderweireld seemingly not wanting to stay in north London, Pochettino should sell the Belgian and go all out to bring the former Nottingham Forest man to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as he would be the perfect long-term replacement for Vertonghen alongside Sanchez in the future.

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