West Ham United position themselves to beat Sheffield United to Georges Mikautadze signing, £15.3m bid tabled
West Ham United are set to challenge Sheffield United for the signature of Metz striker Georges Mikautadze, according to Alexis Bernard.
The le10sport journalist tweeted (16 August) that the Hammers could rival Sheffield United, Lazio, Roma, Lyon and Marseille for the Ligue 1 forward, with Metz demanding a minimum of £17.1million.
Before their promotion, Mikautadze scored 23 goals in 37 Ligue 2 appearances for Metz. Paul Heckingbottom’s side have submitted a £15.3million bid for the forward, but West Ham could rival.
Promising
West Ham could find themselves in the strongest position to secure this goal machine.
le10sport claim that both Lyon and Marseille are yet to submit a bid for Mikautadze, but Sheffield United’s bid looks to be the front-runner so far.
However, if the Hammers wanted to secure the player, they would only have to improve Sheffield’s bid by £1.8million to match Metz’s asking price. While being a prolific scorer in the French second division does not necessarily translate into being good in the Premier League, Mikautadze’s Ligue 1 and Belgian Pro League experience means he’s no stranger to top-flight football.
The Irons meanwhile remain in the market for a forward following the departure of Gianluca Scamacca to Serie A side Atalanta. Foot Mercato claimed (16 August) that West Ham have made a verbal bid for Manchester City target and Rennes winger Jeremy Doku, while The Guardian reported (16 August) that the Hammers are keen on Frankfurt striker Elye Wahi.
The club clearly want more options going forward and the young Georgia international could be shrewd business if he develops well at West Ham.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are eyeing a £15million deal for a former Arsenal defender.