West Ham have an opportunity to sign Montpellier’s Gaetan Laborde
West Ham have an opportunity to sign Montpellier striker Gaetan Laborde, the player himself revealed to L’Equipe.
Laborde also shared that he was close to joining the Hammers in January, but the club’s hierarchy was not willing to let him leave at that stage.
The Frenchman has scored 16 goals in Ligue 1 this season, and is valued at £13.5million by Transfermarkt.
In an interview with L’Equipe he spoke about a possible move this summer, saying, “The lights were not all green to leave in January.
“I stuck to the club and gave it my all. Laurent Nicollin (the president of the MHSC) knows it. We’re both fair.
“I know the opportunities are there. But I will also have to have a real feeling. I don’t want to go and bury myself in a club under the pretext of a good contract.”
Deal on the cards?
It will be interesting to see if West Ham still hold the same interest in Laborde that we did in January.
The circumstances are different now, as the club was in a rush to replace the outgoing Sebastien Haller a few months ago.
As a result, it is possible that Laborde has dropped down the list of targets, particularly as we are now eyeing the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Tammy Abraham.
That pair would offer us Premier League experience and should be able to hit the ground running.
Laborde hit form last season but would still be a risk, and we cannot afford to bring in an attacker who cannot rival Michail Antonio for a place in the side.
However, should we miss out on top targets or not have much money available to spend then Laborde could be considered.
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