Pardew scouts Monaco - again

Alan Pardew has been scouting in France as he steps up his attempts to bolster his squad ahead of the start of the new Premiership season.

Pardew was spotted at the Monaco v Portsmouth friendly clash on Saturday - the second time a match involving Monaco has been watched by a Hammers representative in the past week.

Initial speculation suggested that his likely target was Belenenses defender Pele - who was playing against Monaco last Wednesday night.

But having returned to watch the French side face Portsmouth at the weekend, it is almost certain that Pardew's target is a Monaco player.

One possibility is Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who has been linked recently with the likes of Arsenal and Paris St Germain; he played for 75 minutes in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Portsmouth.

Other strikers at Monaco who could be potential targets are Souleymane Camara and former Inter forward Mohamed Kallon, whilst defender Armand Traore has also been interesting several clubs in recent months.

One player unlikely to be on Pardew's hit-list however is left-back Patrice Evra, who has been courted by clubs such as Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid during recent weeks.