West Ham United handed January transfer window route they want for Armando Broja from Chelsea, Fulham and Wolves in frame
West Ham now have the route to signing Armando Broja from Chelsea this month that they wanted despite not being able to afford his up-front asking price.
The 22-year-old has unexpectedly been made available at Stamford Bridge for £50million [Guardian, 19 January] during the January transfer window and is also subject to interest from Wolves and Fulham.
Despite an immediate permanent transfer seemingly impossible thanks to the fee required at this stage the Irons are said to be interested in a loan move for the striker before the deadline.
Now, according to The Sun (20 January) is has emerged that Chelsea are willing to sanction a loan-to-buy arrangement for Broja this month, if a club commits to paying a reduced £35m for him at the end of the deal.
Surprisingly the West London side are “willing to help interested parties who might have Financial Fair Play problems get the transfer done” and will therefore do a “sweet deal” similar to the one agreed with Newcastle for Lewis Hall last summer.
That hands the Irons a clear route to bringing in a striker who the manager has been chasing for at least a year and a half now, having been close to signing the Albania international following his loan at Southampton two seasons ago, then wanted him again in the summer.
David Moyes’ attack has been weakened significantly with Mohammed Kudus being away on international duty with Cameroon while all of Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta have picked up injuries.
At striker the manager has been left with only Danny Ings, who has struggled to have an impact in his year with the club with just three goals to his name and was thought to be on the way out, and teenager Divin Mubama who has scored only once for the first team and is himself currently exit-bound when his contract expires in the summer.
The 1-0 defeat that saw West Ham knocked out of the FA Cup by Bristol City on 16 January laid bare the lack of bite up front, making a goalscorer an obvious priority this month.
Broja has only scored three Chelsea goals in the past 18 months amid a serious knee injury and historic upheaval at Stamford Bridge, so whether he is actually the answer to the problems at the London Stadium is perhaps another question.
Assuming he is able to return to form fully with more sustained first-team action a £35m fee is arguably quite reasonable for a striker of his age and potential, having scored nine times in all competitions with the Saints prior to his more recent set backs, but on the strength of his output of late it is steep.
Either way, if the club are still interested in bringing him in this month despite the doubts caused by his scoring record back at Chelsea then it appears the opening they wanted has now been provided.
In other West Ham news, a transfer target has signed elsewhere as a result of disputes behind the scenes at the London Stadium.
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