West Ham eye Jan swoop to sign Mariano Diaz, Real Madrid striker keen on London switch – report
West Ham are eyeing up a swoop to sign Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz after Sebastien Haller was sold to Ajax for around £20million, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claims that while the Irons have boosted their transfer budget with Haller’s sale, David Moyes would be interested in a loan move for the 27-year-old Bernabeu fringe player.
It is understood that West Brom mulled a move for Diaz in the summer but the Dominican Republic international would prefer a move to London amid interest from the Hammers.
No thanks
West Ham have plenty of money to spend on a replacement for Haller so why would they risk eyeing a loan deal for someone who’s barely played in the last two seasons?
The January transfer window is a tough window to do business in because most of the time, only players who have struggled are available to move.
Diaz may well be available but that’s because he is struggling to keep himself in the picture in Madrid.
The ex-Lyon striker has made just seven appearances in all competitions this season, starting only three times and scoring one goal, which came against Villarreal in November.
Last season, Diaz also played just seven times in all competitions and scored only one goal. He didn’t start a single game despite his one and only goal coming off the bench in a 2-0 win against Barcelona.
Speaking to West Ham Zone in November, Frank McAvennie claimed that someone who is struggling to play wouldn’t make a good January signing.
He said: “I don’t know much about the boy but he’s not playing.
“David [Moyes] is picking the players now so he’ll know if this boy can fit in because he can’t make another mistake as they did with Haller.”
West Ham have been linked with a lot of strikers since news of Haller’s move to Ajax broke and there will continue to be speculation surrounding the London Stadium in regards to a new centre-forward.
Moyes definitely needs to replace Haller but it needs to be someone who’ll hit the ground running.
Diaz’s lack of game-time suggests he could struggle to do that.
In other West Ham news, Mark Noble is set to be offered a new deal.