West Ham target Patson Daka can leave Red Bull Salzburg
West Ham target Patson Daka will be allowed to leave Red Bull Salzburg ahead of a summer of upheaval at the Austrian club, according to Salzburger Nachrichten.
The Austrian news outlet claims there will be a mass turnover with six players allowed to leave, including top scorer Daka, while manager Jesse Marsch is set to depart for the Bundesliga and will be replaced by 33-year-old Matthias Jaissle.
This comes after last week’s tweet from Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur that West Ham are interested in the Zambian international, who has scored 34 goals in 42 appearances this season.
The 22-year-old has been at Salzburg since 2017 and made over 100 appearances for the perennial Austrian league title winners.
He’s made 25 international appearances since his debut in 2015, and his head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredejovic told the BBC in January that he “could be compared to Sadio Mane or Samuel Eto’o, with the level of skill and speed that he has.”
Speedy business
Daka’s a quick player and the Irons board will have to lace up themselves if they want to race ahead of the competition and bag themselves a prolific goalscorer.
Konur reported our interest in him last week but before that he also tweeted that it is RB Leipzig’s intention to sign Daka to replace Alexander Sorloth, who they bought last year.
Leipzig and Salzburg have close ties due to their ownership affiliations and a number of players have transferred between the two clubs over the years, so the German side are likely to have a headstart on rival bidders, especially with Marsch set to take over the reins after leaving Austria.
They would also be able to offer Champions League football next season, though we will be in European competition and the lure of more money and Premier League football could prove too strong.
It’s a deal we’d like to see happen.
Daka is quick, over six foot, and has a keen eye for goal, all enviable qualities that should see him succeed at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, ExWHUemployee claims there is a major announcement on the way over the future of this Irons figure.
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