West Ham in the Sunday Papers

The Mirror and The News of the World say that West Ham hope to sign Tiago Mendes from Juventus. The Portuguese player has flopped since joining Juventus from Lyon for £9.5million this season.

The People say that Alan Curbishley wants to sign the new Carlos Tevez - Argentine teenage wonder striker Nicolas Mazzola.

The People say that The Independiente forward, who played for his country in the Under-17 World Youth Cup in Korea earlier this campaign, has already been over for secret talks.

West Ham may be able to land him for a knockdown fee of around £1million. Sources in Argentina reveal that Mazzola, who has already cracked the first team at Independiente, was first spotted by the Hammers in the Korean tournament by Trevor Brooking, who tipped them off about his ability.

Mazzola, 18 later this month, was approached and gladly came for a look at the facilities in East London, with a move now likely to be sorted out before the end of the window.

West Ham are also making thorough doublechecks into his background to make sure there are no third-party issues as there were with Tevez and Javier Mascherano.

West Ham also want to be sure that Mazzola has a valid EC passport after being told that he qualifies through an Italian family background.

The People also claim that West Ham are after Hungarian Under-21 defender Zsolt Korcsmar. The tall Ujpest Dosza centre half has also been in for a 'test' and has been asked back soon, with a view to a full-time capture.

The People also say that Curbishley has made an audacious bid to take Darren Bent on loan from T*tenham for the rest of the season. He wants to add another striker to his injury-hit squad but does not have the money to spend big.