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West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur in race to sign Red Bull Salzburg forward Noah Okafor, Arsenal also braced for move
West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur want to sign Red Bull Salzburg forward Noah Okafor this summer with the Austrian club braced for moves, according to the Daily Mail.
Tutto Mercato Web reported on 15 November that the Hammers were after the “magnificent” Swiss forward Okafor following strong performances in the Champions League and the World Cup, the €35m-rated [£31m] attacker.
Also, 90min reported on 6 March that West Ham had sent scouts to Red Bull Salzburg’s win over Rapid Wien on Sunday 5 March to take a look at the forward who has impressed again this season with 10 goal contributions from 19 Austrian Bundesliga games.
According to the Daily Mail [20 March], Salzburg are braced for a move for the Swiss star Okafor, as the talented forward is being looked at by not only West Ham and Spurs but Arsenal too.
Okafor is only under contract until next summer and it is believed that his contract situation is reducing Salzburg’s chances of commanding a high fee, but with the reported interest from top clubs in Europe, the Austrian giants will try and drive the price up as much as they can.
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With Michail Antonio almost likely to be off in the summer after shouldering the load up front alone for so long and Gianluca Scamacca’s struggles since his £35.5million move from Sassuolo in the summer, and the reported interest from top clubs in Italy, the Hammers may be forced into another striker addition this time around.
And Okafor seems the perfect fit for West Ham United next season. The 22-year-old has established himself as one of the most exciting young forwards on the continent through his scintillating performances for Salzburg both at domestic level and in the Champions League.
Over the past three seasons, the Swiss international has hit 22 goals and 14 assists in the Austrian Bundesliga, whilst also netting six times over the past two seasons with Salzburg making their mark on the grandest club European stage, highlighting his penchant to not only score goals but create them too, and those traits could be tempting to the Hammers this summer.
Providing the East Londoners confirm their status in the Premier League next season, this is a forward they must ensure they jump in front of the London queue for and get in at the London Stadium.