West Ham accelerate talks to sign Gaetan Laborde
West Ham have reportedly accelerated negotiations with Montpellier to sign striker Gaetan Laborde with the player keen on moving to the London Stadium.
According to French media outlet Foot Mercato, the 27-year-old is tempted by the project proposed by the Hammers.
The report states that West Ham will have to chalk out £13million excluding bonuses if they are to sign the Frenchman this summer and that fellow Ligue 1 side Nice are also in the race to secure his services.
Get him to London
Our quests to sign a striker this summer have ended in disappointment, and for a change, we appear to be making significant progress in signing someone right within our price range.
The 27-year-old is in his prime and would give us at least three more years at his very best while he could go into his early 30s and still lead the line for us, much like Michail Antonio.
His contract runs out in 2023 so if he’s keen on leaving, we could even drive his price down further and look to sign him at a bargain.
Even at the current rate they’re quoting, we’ll still be getting a good deal, but knowing our board, they’re unlikely to give in without putting up a fight.
Should we bring the Frenchman to the London Stadium this summer, we’re going to be guaranteed one thing and that’s plenty of goals.
In the 2020/21 campaign, Laborde bagged 18 goals and nine assists in 43 games in all competitions.
While English football is a completely different ball game, the Montpellier striker has proven himself for the last few seasons and should not take too long to adapt to life in the United Kingdom.
Hopefully, we make an initial offer for the player and get this signing done as soon as possible.
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