West Ham United in pursuit of Senegal goalscorer Boulaye Dia as £10m development emerges
West Ham target Boulaye Dia now has four Premier League sides interested in signing him after he scored Senegal’s first goal of the World Cup, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The 26-year-old scored his country’s first World Cup goal since 2018 in their 3-1 victory over Qatar on Friday (25 November), which leaves Senegal needing to pick up a result against Ecuador in order to qualify for the last 16.
The Hammers have previously been linked with the forward – who has netted six goals in 14 appearances for Salernitana – as a potential partner for the misfiring Gianluca Scamacca at the London Stadium. [GiveMeSport]
However, CBS journalist Jacobs outlined a clause in the forward’s contract which leaves Serie A club Salernitana in the box seat to acquire his services.
He tweeted: “Boulaye Dia scores Senegal’s first World Cup goal.
“He also has six goals in Serie A for Salernitana, where he’s on-loan from Villarreal. Salernitana have an option to buy for £10m.
“Leeds, Everton, West Ham and Leicester all keeping tabs on him, too.”
Rising price tag
The World Cup tax will not be helping clubs such as West Ham who are looking to strengthen in the January transfer window.
For every goal that Dia scores in Qatar, the price David Moyes will have to pay is only going to go up, as the footballing world watches up-and-coming stars with eagle-eyed anticipation.
With Sadio Mane ruled out of the World Cup and Senegal left with few other alternatives, Dia will now hope to back up his strong form in Italy with further goals during the competition.
If he continues to impress, a race between four Premier League clubs could quickly become a bidding war for the highly touted forward, and this will come as a frustration to Hammers fans who thought signing Dia wouldn’t come at much cost.
Salernitana still remain in the box seat and could be tempted to take advantage of the £10 million price tag offered to them by Villarreal.
In other West Ham news, journalist stunned by Lucas Paqueta’s performance for Brazil at World Cup.