West Ham United want to sign new striker as Serie A chief makes demand
West Ham want to sign Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia in January but the transfer will require a fee of at least £17.2million, according to Le Cronache.
The Italian news website reported [3 January] that, while the 27-year-old striker remains on the sidelines through injury, Salernitana will accept no less than that figure for the hitman who has scored 20 goals across 47 games for the club.
It is understood that West Ham will need to fend off Eintracht Frankfurt, Everton and Wolves, with Fiorentina and AC Milan unlikely to meet the asking price set by general manager Walter Sabatini.
It’s not worth it
£20million seems far too much for a 27-year-old striker with little experience in major competitions. The Senegalese striker has spent several years in France, Spain and Italy, with Reims, Villarreal and Salernitana but has never settled.
Missing parts of the current season due to injury, Dia has only managed to net four goals in Serie A as the club sits bottom of the league table. With only two wins from 18 attempts, it will take a miracle for Salernitana to avoid relegation.
This may be why the asking price for the striker is so high, but it is unlikely that many clubs will offer that much and West Ham certainly should not. There are much better options, especially academy graduate Divin Mubama who is third-choice behind Jarrod Bowen and, when fit, Michail Antonio under David Moyes currently.
Dia’s career should not be knocked too much, however. He has racked up 24 caps and five goals for his country, as well as netting 28 goals in three years at French side Reims.
It would be an unusual decision for the Hammers to sign an injured player, though. With many Premier League fixtures and Europa League matches to come, West Ham will need an entirely fit squad to complete their aims for this season.
Although he has Champions League experience, that experience amounts to just eight matches in the 2021/22 season, starting three for Villareal in the competition and scoring once.
It is a lot of money to spend on an injured, inexperienced striker from a bottom-of-the-league Salernitana.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have suffered yet another injury blow.