West Ham transfer update on £40m Jorgen Strand Larsen after Niclas Fullkrug exit agreed
West Ham’s stance on moving for Jorgen Strand Larsen has emerged after a deal to let Niclas Fullkrug leave was reached.
Fullkrug is heading to AC Milan on loan with an option to buy as the Hammers hope the departure will free up funds for Nuno Espirito Santo to add to his relegation-threatened squad.
West Ham view Fullkrug as one of Tim Steidten’s worst mistakes after his £27.5million signing from Borussia Dortmund two summers ago, before the former technical director was sacked at the start of this year.
Despite Callum Wilson’s arrival on a free transfer this term the Irons are short up front and Wolves’ Strand Larsen is a West Ham target to replace Fullkrug in the squad.
Strand Larsen too expensive for West Ham
According to a new update from Jacob Steinberg in The Guardian Wolves want £40million for the Dane but West Ham are “reluctant” to pay that.
He has only scored once in the Premier League this season for the bottom-placed side – he has two more in the Carabao Cup – and the Hammers see the price tag as “too expensive”.
Although the club are said to be “scouring the market” for forwards, Steinberg also added via X that West Ham are looking to push down the fee for Strand Larsen.
West Ham were interested in signing Strand Larsen before he joined Wolves, in the same window that Fullkrug arrived in the Premier League.
Additionally, the budget at the London Stadium is limited, although Fullkrug’s high wages are going to be covered in full by Milan. West Ham failed to get an obligation to buy included in the deal.
West Ham at risk of Strand Larsen hijack
Given Wolves rejected as much as £55m from Newcastle for Strand Larsen in the summer and then gave him a new contract after just a year at Molineux the price tag for January actually looks relatively low.
Clearly, £40m is a lot of money full stop, especially when he has only scored once this season, but for a 25-year-old striker who netted 14 times in his debut season in the top flight last term it could be higher.
- 14 Premier League goals for Wolves last season
- Just one for league’s bottom club this term
If West Ham are worried that the first year, in a squad that subsequently lost key players including Matheus Cunha, was a fluke then they probably shouldn’t be interested at all.
And with suggestions that other clubs are also in the running to snap him up given Wolves appear nailed on for relegation there is a clear risk of missing out.
And the stakes are high for Nuno and company as should they fail to bring in a new striker next month West Ham could well be on the way down as well.
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