West Ham United transfer news: Late Chelsea bids on cards for Armando Broja as Aston Villa, Wolves, Fulham also circle
West Ham are in the race to sign Armando Broja before the close of the transfer window with clubs tipped to pressure Chelsea with bids close to the deadline, by Ben Jacobs.
The journalist reported via Fabrizio Romano’s Substack on 23 January that while the striker is available at Stamford Bridge this month the interested parties believe that his £35million-plus valuation is too high.
With Aston Villa, Fulham and Wolves joining the Irons in the picture for the Albanian international Jacobs has suggested offers will be left late in an attempt to force the Blues to lower their price or alter their structural demands.
The Hammers seemed to need a striker more than anything in the winter window but have so far been pushing for a Kalvin Phillips loan from Manchester City and a permanent deal for FC Nordsjaelland’s Ibrahim Osman.
Tricky
Based on his recent form after coming back from a serious injury suffered last season it is perhaps little surprise that clubs aren’t sure about spending big money on Broja.
Like Phillips he is a player who David Moyes has been after for a series of windows but who has had a difficult past 18 months.
The City midfielder was starting from a higher base, so the loan-to-buy deal which could be made permanent for a similar fee as Broja is arguably better value.
However, a decent outing from Danny Ings against Sheffield United notwithstanding, the Irons are in greater need of a centre-forward, with Gianluca Scamacca not replaced in the summer and the futures of Ings, Michail Antonio and Divin Mubama endlessly uncertain.
None have been prolific but neither has Broja, 22, of late with just three senior goals for Chelsea, although he did score 11 for Vitesse Arnhem and then nine for Southampton in back-to-back loan spells as a teenager.
But with Chelsea seemingly under some pressure to sell academy graduates after their huge spend in recent windows there is potentially scope for a deal to be done as the deadline approaches, so if the price is right maybe, and surely a loan-to-buy arrangement would be what the Hammers would prefer.
In other West Ham news, a rival striker target is waiting for the Irons to come in and sort out his future before the deadline.
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