£8.7m transfer update as Everton locked in race with West Ham United to sign Emiliano Martinez

Everton and West Ham are battling to secure the services of FC Midtjylland midfielder Emiliano Martinez this summer, according to Tipsbladet.

The Danish media outlet wrote on its website on Wednesday (2 June) that it will take any team around £8.7million to secure the Uruguay international's services.

The 23-year-old only moved to the club last summer and the Toffees have already submitted an opening bid for him, according to Sport 890 journalist Rodri Vazquez.

Worth considering

Martinez has burst on to the scene for Uruguay this year and is likely to be a regular part of Marcelo Bielsa's squad for the friendlies later this year.

The Argentine has managed in the Premier League and knows how hard it is to compete so if the 23-year-old can move to England and prove his worth, he'll be among the first picks for Bielsa.

Currently, the Danish Superliga is nowhere close to the level of the Premier League and the midfielder himself knows that.

If a good offer comes his way and it's something the two clubs can agree on then he should be more than happy to leave this summer.

Everton will surely be looking to sign a new midfielder along with a striker this summer after bringing in Ashley Young in defence and Arnaut Danjuma to add to their attack.

Martinez remains an interesting option and it remains to be seen how this transpires for the Toffees.

In exclusive Everton news, the Toffees now have to pay £21.4m to land a Brazilian striker to lead their line for next season.