West Ham admit defeat over top target En-Nesyri, club pursing other options – David Ornstein
West Ham have failed with a bid for Sevilla star Youssef En-Nesyri and are moving onto other striker targets, according to David Ornstein.
It was recently revealed by Ornstein in The Athletic that En-Nesyri was a top target for the Irons and they had a £22.5million bid rejected for the 23-year-old.
While their first offer was rebuffed it was believed that talks were still continuing with West Ham ‘hopeful‘ a deal could be agreed.
However Ornstein has taken to Twitter to deliver some bad news for Hammers that were excited about his potential arrival, saying: “West Ham’s En-Nesyri pursuit is all-but over.
“The formal offer submitted on Saturday (€25m + €5m in add-ons) was not enough for Sevilla to consider selling the 23-year-old Morocco international. West Ham continue to pursue other options to bolster attack ahead of deadline.“
With fewer than two weeks of the January transfer window remaining, these are twitchy times for West Ham fans with the need to bolster the strike force essential if they are to aim for a European place this season.
Concerning lack of cover
Currently, Michail Antonio is the only senior striker at West Ham and this is a serious concern given his injury record that has caused him to miss eight Premier League games already this season.
When he has played he has shown how integral he is to the side with an impressive five goals in 11 games but the worry will be that he cannot sustain a regular run in the team.
Sebastien Haller has been the man to front the West Ham attack in the absence of Antonio this season but he was sold to Ajax earlier in the window leaving the Irons desperately short on options.
Fans are desperate for any striker but news of a move for En-Nesyri would have particularly piqued their interest given the Sevilla striker’s sensational start to the season that has seen him notch nine times in La Liga and a further four times in the Champions League.
A mobile striker with a serious goal-scoring pedigree is what the Irons are crying out for and the Morocco international could have provided exactly that and would have been something of a coup.
However with the deal dead in the water according to Ornstein the club will have to look elsewhere for firepower, but it will not be easy to attract any one near the level of En-Nesyri with such little time remaining in the window.
In other West Ham news, our view on how Vladimir Coufal helped to excellently exploit a West Brom weakness.