West Ham United and Aston Villa want to sign £17.5m Genoa attacker Albert Gudmundsson
West Ham United are interested in the services of Genoa forward Albert Gudmundsson but may have to wait till the summer to sign him, according to Calciomercato.it.
The Italian news outlet (17 November) reported that Gudmundsson has a price value of around €20million (£17.5m) but that could soar should English clubs come into the bidding for his services with West Ham and Aston Villa both interested.
It is believed that Genoa do not want to lose Gudmundsson in the January window which means interested clubs will have to wait until the summer but both Premier League clubs would have no problem trying to “break the bank” for the 26-year-old attacker.
Talented option
West Ham United are currently desperate for attacking targets right now given manager David Moyes is having trusting the likes of Said Benrahma, Maxwel Cornet and Pablo Fornals on that left flank.
The Hammers game has been hampered as a result with the West Ham manager having to deploy Lucas Paqueta out wide or even Mohammed Kudus down that side, which certainly begs the question of what the club will be planning during January.
Gudmundsson certainly represents a stellar option for the Hammers given his tremendous upward trajectory over the last season.
The Icelandic international registered bagged 11 goals and four assists in Serie B last season forming a crucial component as Genoa enjoyed promotion back to the Italian top flight but has stepped it up a level so far this campaign, recording five goals in 12 Serie A games.
In fact, Gudmundsson has already proven one of the most devastating attackers in Serie A till this point, ranking 10th out of all players for key passes (22), sixth for crosses (53) and third for successful take-ons (25).
He also ranks in the top 14% of attackers in Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions and the top 15% for progressive carries per 90 (FBRef) marking him out as a dangerous attacking outlet – one which West Ham United need on both flanks right now.
While it remains difficult to sign him in the January transfer window, it isn’t impossible should West Ham place a tempting offer on the table. That’s if they’re able to ship out a few of their fringe players.
In other West Ham news, the club’s stance on another potential signing has emerged with the deal still yet to be complete.