WEST HAM reportedly believe they can hijack Manchester United's pursuit of Southampton striker Sadio Mane - using their Champions League dream to fuel the transfer.
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| Sadio Mane could be heading to the Olympic Stadium this summer |
Mane, 23, is expected to remain at St Mary's for the rest of the season.
But his long-term future at the club remains unclear as Premier League suitors consider bids.
And one of those sides hoping to entice him away from the south coast is West Ham.
The Hammers are enjoying a strong season in manager Slaven Bilic's first campaign in charge.
They sit sixth in the table, a point off fifth-place United and six away from Tottenham in fourth.
Next term they move into the Olympic Stadium, where crowds could reach 60,000.
And the Brentwood Gazette claim club officials are seeking to complete some big-money moves to coincide with the ground change.
It is claimed West Ham hope to secure European football for next season in order to convince players to join.
Mane has been earmarked as one of those potential recruits, although West Ham may have pay above the striker's market price to beat off United.
Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal tried to sign Mane late last summer when his pursuit of Barcelona winger Pedro was ended by Chelsea swooping in.
United have been searching for goals all season, having netted just 28 times compared to league leaders Leicester's 42-goal tally.
A winter bid for Mane was expected to but United are supposedly now holding out until the summer before throwing their weight around in the market.
Although a Champions League spot for West Ham is a possibility, they remain 25/1 outsiders with the bookies to secure a top-four finish, compared to United at 6/4 and Spurs at 1/3.
As for Mane, the Senegal international scored once for Saints in their ill-fated Europa League qualifying campaign last summer that saw them dumped out of the competition by United's last-32 opponents FC Midtjylland.
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