Winner named in West Ham race for Elye Wahi as five-year deal agreed
West Ham target Elye Wahi has decided to join Ligue 1 side Lens and is due to undergo a medical with the club, according to Foot Mercato.
The French news publication reported online (19 August) that the 20-year-old striker, who was a target for West Ham, has chosen to move from Montpellier to Lens and remain in France.
David Moyes’s side did not make the necessary guarantees to secure the signing of the France Under-21 international, while Bundesliga outfit Frankfurt saw their offer rejected.
Barring a huge U-turn, the striker is expected to undergo his medical with Lens today, Saturday 19 August, ahead of signing a five-year contract with the club who finished runners-up to PSG last year, thus qualifying for the Champions League.
Blow
This latest news will come as a huge setback to Moyes and his side as the manager would have most likely been hopeful of securing the young attacking talent, to add competition to his ranks at the London Stadium and build a more competitive squad, which can compete in both Europe and domestically this year.
Wahi is an exceptional talent and at the young age of just 20 managed to score 19 goals in Ligue 1 last year. It was recently revealed that he would not be in Montpellier’s matchday squad for their league game against Lyon on Saturday 19 August, with a transfer seemingly inevitable, although it was not clear where he would go.
A decision now seems to have been reached and the Hammers have been punished for not moving quickly enough in the transfer market.
Other targets remain and the club will now have to switch their focus elsewhere. They cannot afford to miss out on those options too.
In other West Ham news, the club’s stance has been revealed on another attacking target.