West Ham United are expected to make a fresh January bid for one Champions League striker who’s been in sensational form this campaign, with manager Graham Potter on the hunt for another centre-forward after devastating injury blows.
West Ham eye up late January striker signing
The winter transfer window shuts in a matter of days, and West Ham are still yet to confirm the arrival of a prolific centre-forward who can ease the pressure on Danny Ings’ shoulders.
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The Hammers are looking set to be busy.
Ings is Potter’s only natural striking option right now, with both Niclas Füllkrug and Michail Antonio set to be sidelined for extended periods after suffering serious injuries. West Ham’s need for another body in that area was evident before Fullkrug and Antonio were ruled out, but the duo’s absences have exacerbated their desire for a quality forward even more.
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West Ham’s next five Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Chelsea (away) |
February 3rd |
|
Brentford (home) |
February 15th |
|
Arsenal (away) |
February 22nd |
|
Leicester City (home) |
February 27th |
|
Newcastle United (home) |
March 10th |
Brighton starlet Evan Ferguson is a primary target for West Ham during these latter stages of the window, which shuts on February 3rd, with the Republic of Ireland international potentially available on a loan deal.
West Ham did make a serious attempt for Ajax striker Brian Brobbey as well, even shaking hands on personal terms worth £100,000-per-week (talkSPORT), but the finances involved in a deal for the Dutchman proved to stall talks for the time being.
Potter’s side, as per reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, have also seen a bid rejected for PSV Eindhoven star Ricardo Pepi.
The USA international, a scorer of 18 goals in all competitions so far this season, also bagged one against Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday evening – helping them to a 3-2 win over Arne Slot’s Premier League frontrunners.
West Ham expected to make fresh Ricardo Pepi bid
While their opening proposal was swiftly turned away, the Hammers recruitment team have not given up on luring Pepi to the London Stadium.
According to ED reporter Rik Elfrink, via X, West Ham are expected to make a second bid for Pepi worth around £29 million – but it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to convince PSV to part with their superstar attacker.
“Fireworks on the transfer market expected at PSV in the coming week,” said Elfrink.
“West Ham United will return with 35 million [euros] for Pepi, is the expectation.”
The Texas native is also a proven scorer at international level, bagging 13 in 33 caps for the US, and you could make a good case that a player of his ilk is exactly what West Ham are crying out for as one of the English top flight’s lowest-scoring teams right now.