Report: West Ham offers £31.5M to Marseille for Batshuayi

West Ham United is reportedly putting its money where its mouth is.

According to Ed Aarons of the Guardian, West Ham has offered £31.5 million (€40 million) for Olympique de Marseille's Michy Batshuayi, a figure that would smash the Hammers' club record transfer.

The report comes after Hammers' head coach Slaven Bilic praised the Belgian forward in February, saying: "Yes, he is a very good player and I have known him for some time, since he played for Belgian club Standard Liege before going to France."

While West Ham will apparently face competition from Juventus, AS Roma, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool in landing Batshuayi, the Hammers are allegedly banking on using Dimitri Payet to lure the 22-year-old to the club. Of course, the two players enjoyed a phenomenal season playing alongside one another at Marseille, and they reportedly remain good friends.

Related: West Ham hopes Payet factor helps win Batshuayi race

The Hammers reportedly attempted to sign Batshuayi during the January transfer window but were told that he wasn't interested in leaving Marseille until the end of the season. The French club, who purchased the forward from Standard in 2014 for a reported £4.8 million (€6.1 million), is apparently under pressure to balance its books and any deal involving West Ham is likely to be wrapped up before June, ahead of the Euro 2016 tournament.

West Ham broke its club transfer record in 2013, when the Hammers bought Andy Carroll from Liverpool for an alleged £15.5 million (€19.7 million).