West Ham United could start to get desperate as they miss out on Alexander Sorloth deal
West Ham United are set to come up short on another transfer target as Alexander Sorloth closes in on a move to Atletico Madrid.
Renowned transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano posted on his X account [31 July] to report that Atletico were in advanced talks with Villarreal to bring Sorloth across Spain from the coast to the capital, having missed out on Girona frontman Artem Dovbyk.
Sorloth heads up the list of targets for Tim Steidten this summer, having enquired about the player to Villarreal [Mail Online, 16 July].
The La Liga outfit told all the interested parties, including the Hammers, Atletico and Roma too, that the club would not budge on their asking price of £32m [Marca, 31 July] for the 6’5” Norwegian who scored 26 goals in all competitions last season.
Romano shared: “Atlético Madrid are advancing in talks to sign Alexander Sørloth from Villarreal, after Dovbyk deal collapsed.
“Atlético are waiting for Gallagher’s decision as talks on personal terms continue… meanwhile, negotiations underway for Sørloth. More to follow.”
West Ham endure mixed fortunes in transfer window
The past few weeks have been far from easy from a West Ham recruitment perspective, with Steidten suffering numerous setbacks in his efforts to transform the squad for new head coach Julen Lopetegui.
Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme and Wes Foderingham have arrived at the London Stadium ahead of the new campaign but the Irons will have hoped to have around double the incomings at this point, with Sorloth seemingly the latest of their failed transfer pursuits which so far include Jhon Duran and Fabricio Bruno.
One target which has taken a turn for the better is Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who may now opt to agree a move to East London with Manchester United replacing him with Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui – who had been another on Steidten’s list as a right-back is required.
Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug could be another success story, with a move heavily linked from Borussia Dortmund.
Atletico’s qualification for the Champions League makes it instantly very challenging for Lopetegui’s team to compete for transfer targets at this point, with a contemporary look on the squad the current aim for Steidten as the era changes at the club after David Moyes.
Sorloth’s stock has rapidly risen since his form at Villarreal, having failed to produce in his brief spell in England with Crystal Palace between 2018 and 2020.
In other West Ham news, Alan Pardew shares his take on Kalvin Phillips.
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