West Ham lead race to sign Adam Armstrong alongside Fulham
West Ham are leading the five-team race to sign Blackburn striker Adam Armstrong, report The Sun.
The 24-year-old has been on the Hammers radar since January and it seems the club is keen for a deal to be done.
Blackburn wanted Armstrong to sign a new deal but so far he has not extended his contract, which has a year left to run.
As a result, Rovers are said to be close to cashing in on the attacker, and will demand £25million to let him leave.
Brighton, Everton, Fulham and former club Newcastle are also interested in Armstrong, with the latter keen to take advantage of their 40% sell-on agreement.
Ticks a key box
West Ham are in need of a goalscorer this summer and Armstrong has proven he is a natural finisher in his career so far.
He has scored goals at League One and Championship level, and has gone under the radar this season due to the form of Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
Armstrong has only scored three less than Toney this term, with 28 in the league, a return that suggests he should do well in the top-flight.
That is greater than the likes of Patrick Bamford, Neal Maupay and Ollie Watkins have managed in the second tier in recent years, and they have all done well in the Premier League.
If Armstrong was to join and perform well his transfer value could increase rapidly, as he is English and still young.
Another striker who ticks the same boxes as Armstrong is Tammy Abraham, and he could cost West Ham £15million more, per The Telegraph.
This is a deal that makes a lot of sense to us, therefore.
The only worry we have is where he would fit in the team and what his arrival would mean for Michail Antonio, but we trust David Moyes to find a solution that suits everyone.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are set for a £24m windfall as a report details the size of our summer transfer budget.
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