Thursday 29 December 2016 16:29, UK
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic says he is not planning to make a bid for Juventus full-back Patrice Evra during the January transfer window.
It has been reported that former Manchester United defender Evra is keen on a return to the Premier League with London Stadium tipped as a possible destination.
But Bilic insists he has sufficient cover in that position and will instead focus on strengthening other areas of his squad, with the Croat targeting players with Premier League experience.
Bilic said: "We are the club that is linked with the most players in Europe! "Every player that is available, it is always West Ham.
"Ninety-five per cent of that is not true, definitely not true with Evra.
"OK, he is a great player, but at that position we are well-covered. We are not going to panic and will try and get a couple of players.
"We want players who have Premier League experience."
Veteran forward Jermain Defoe has also been linked with a return to West Ham and, while refusing to confirm his interest, Bilic spoke of his admiration for the Sunderland man.
"A very good player of course," said Bilic. "He is playing well for Sunderland and he is scoring goals.
"I have a few midfielders from different countries telling me his movement is the best, from the strikers they play with.
"But he is a Sunderland player, so I am not going to talk about it."
West Ham are now 11th in the table after three consecutive wins. They travel to Leicester on New Year's Eve before hosting Manchester United on January 2, live on Sky Sports.
The Hammers began the hectic post-Christmas period with an impressive 4-1 win at Swansea and Blic says they need to keep up the momentum at the home of the struggling champions on Saturday.
"The confidence is back with the points we are taking and we don't want it to stop," said Bilic.
"We have to continue to play like this.
"Leicester are not happy about their position in the Premier League but they have the quality and the resources. They should be all right."
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