West Ham and West Brom lead race to sign Besiktas striker Cyle Larin
West Ham are leading the charge to sign Besiktas striker Cyle Larin in the summer alongside West Brom, according to Sozcu.
The Turkish newspaper reports on their website that Larin, 26, is keen to move to England in the upcoming transfer window after a stunning season at Besiktas.
The Canada international scored 23 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions for the Istanbul club, who won the Turkish Super Lig title by just one goal earlier this month.
Sozcu adds that Besiktas want between £8.6million and £12.9million for the former Orlando City centre-forward.
Good – but not great
There’s no denying that Larin has had a sensational season in Turkey.
He’s scored four goals in a match on two separate occasions, scored in Champions League qualifying and of course won the Turkish league title with Besiktas.
Larin’s also been in good form for Canada, scoring four goals in two appearances this year in World Cup qualifiers – although they were against Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.
Larin knows how to find the back of the net but can he do it against better teams than those in Turkey?
The forward, who can play as a striker or on either wing, failed to score in the league against Galatasaray, Fenerbahce or Trabzonspor this term and they were the teams who finished second, third and fourth behind Besiktas.
He’s not netted regularly against Turkey’s top teams so what effect can he had against teams in the Premier League – or even the Championship, in West Brom’s case?
Larin comes across as a good cheap option but with West Ham qualifying for Europe, they should be in for an out-and-out striker who’s proven he can do it in the Premier League.
Tammy Abraham absolutely has to be our number one target.
In other West Ham news, the Irons are likely to table an offer to sign this £135,000-a-week striker.
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Hammers and more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.