West Ham United emerge as serious contenders to sign Elye Wahi, Tim Steidten leading talks

West Ham have emerged as a serious contender to sign Montpellier forward Elye Wahi, according to The Guardian.

The newspaper reported on its website on 16 August that the Hammers' technical director Tim Steidten is driving the move for the 20-year-old.

It said the Irons have held positive early talks with the "prolific" Frenchman's representatives, but that they face competition from Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain to sign him.

Exciting

These are exactly the kind of deals that Steidten has been brought in to West Ham to try and pull off as he targets young and emerging talents.

The Hammers should be pursuing this deal as the forward is an incredibly exciting prospect after proving himself in Ligue 1 with Montpellier to place a number of clubs on high alert about his availability.

Despite only being 20 years old, the French U-21 international has made 92 appearances for La Paillade and scored an impressive 19 goals in 33 games last season, while also registering six assists.

Standing at 6'0", Wahi fits the profile of the kind of striker David Moyes likes to have leading his line, with his presence allowing him to hold the ball up and his pace in behind adding an extra threat.

He is valued by the French side at £30million, so with the money the Hammers have in the bank following the sales this summer, we would be foolish to not firm up our interest with a serious offer to sign him.

In other West Ham news, a pundit has urged one player to make the move to the London Stadium.