According to reports in The Independent, Arsenal manager Unai Emery is considering making a £30m move for Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes, and their Premier League rivals West Ham United must be watching developments closely.

What's the word, then?

Andre Gomes in action for Barcelona

Well, The Independent says that Emery wants to bring the Portugal international to the Emirates Stadium ahead of the new campaign as he looks to strengthen his squad before the window slams shut on August 9.

The Independent report that the Gunners boss feels that Gomes has the right qualities to shine in the style of play he is planning to implement for the north London club, and he would be willing to sacrifice some players in order to raise more money for his limited budget.

If Gomes does sign, he would be competing with the likes of £36m-rated Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny, Aaron Ramsey and potential new boy Lucas Torreira for a spot in the middle of the park.

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Why should West Ham be monitoring the situation?

Well, new Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini, who has been urged to sign a £22m 2018 World Cup winger instead of Felipe Anderson, appears to be looking to strengthen his central midfield options this summer as he looks to find more competition for the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate and captain Mark Noble in the middle of the park, and he has most recently been linked with a move for Real Madrid's Mateo Kovacic.

One player that could well be an option if Arsenal sign both Torreira and Gomes is Xhaka, who would surely be pushed down the pecking order with the Gunners with the aforementioned duo and Ramsey likely to be the top-three choices in the centre.

While Xhaka has sometimes flattered to deceive for the north London club since joining them from Borussia Monchengladbach, he has still been a regular for them and showed the quality he has on the ball with a brilliant finish for Switzerland at the 2018 World Cup, and he would add some quality to the Hammers midfield.

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