West Ham in talks to sign Joshua King from Bournemouth – Mike McGrath
West Ham have opened talks over a deal to sign Norway striker Joshua King from Bournemouth, according to Mike McGrath.
The Telegraph journalist has reported that King, 28, is keen to return to the Premier League after suffering relegation to the Championship with the Cherries last season.
West Brom are also said to have held talks over a £10million deal for King but McGrath understands that West Ham are “in a good position” to win the race for the former Manchester United man.
Michail Antonio has started all four Premier League matches as the centre-forward for West Ham since the new campaign kicked off last month.
He’s scored two goals in those games but the striker position is still one that the Hammers could do with strengthening before the domestic transfer window closes on October 16.
Sebastien Haller is the only real out-and-out centre-forward in David Moyes’ squad but is yet to start in the league this season despite being the club’s top goalscorer in all competitions.
Haller, 26, has scored five goals in seven total appearances but four of those came when he netted braces in Carabao Cup victories of Charlton and Hull.
The Frenchman’s record in the Premier League has been concerning since he joined the Irons last year with him scoring just eight goals in 36 top-flight outings.
King, on the other hand, has proven himself to be more consistent at hitting the back of the net in the Premier League. He has scored 48 times in 161 Premier League appearances.
That means King has averaged roughly 0.29 goals per Premier League outings, compared to Haller’s 0.22.
In other West Ham news, Vladimir Coufal already looks like a bargain buy for the Hammers.