West Ham United now need to pay extra £10m to sign Ademola Lookman amid transfer news
Dan Bardell has suggested that signing Ademola Lookman would be unwise for West Ham United this summer unless they lose key players.
According to a report from The Mirror (24 May) the Atalanta forward is “under consideration” by the Hammers as a potential signing.
The Nigerian scored a hattrick in the Europa League final (22 May) in a performance which made many teams sit up and take notice.
Sky Sports and talkSPORT journalist Bardell has suggested this will inflate his value but would be a wasted signing by Tim Stiedten this summer.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Bardell said: “I think his value has gone up by about £10m. I just look at him and think is he the type of player that, unless someone is leaving like Bowen or Kudus, West Ham should prioritise?
“I wouldn’t envisage him being a move that happens. I wouldn’t think that his position is a priority, that type of player for West Ham because unless someone leaves they already have very good options in there.“
Should West Ham sign Ademola Lookman?
With the latest news surrounding Lucas Paqueta, there may be a desperate scramble at the London Stadium to bring in some attacking reinforcements.
If he is banned for a prolonged period of time then the Hammers would be with just Bowen and Kudus attacking options that aren’t central strikers.
Danny Ings, Michail Antonio and Divin Mubama all want to play in the number nine position as opposed to drifting outside.
This would point towards Julen Lopetegui wanting a new attacking option this summer to bolster his forward line.
Lookman’s performance against an undefeated Bayer Leverkusen side was electric to secure a European title for Atalanta.
The Nigerian added to his 10 goals and six assists in Serie A across just 21 starts and an additional nine substitute appearances [FotMob].
Lookman has experience of the Premier League and could prove to be a great attacking option under Lopetegui next season.
After a great performance in the Europa League final, his price tag is set to be hugely inflated so he may be out of the Hammers’ reach this summer.
In other West Ham news, the club are closing in on a deal for a £17m-rated player.
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