West Ham United striker transfer race starts now as Tim Steidten returns to London
West Ham are facing a race against time in their bid to sign a new striker, after technical director Tim Steidten has returned to London having failed to agree on a deal with Corinthians over Yuri Alberto, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported on its website on 31 August that West Ham are considering other options, including Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike and Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri before the transfer deadline arrives.
Steidten had flown to Brazil to try and negotiate a deal for Alberto, but no agreement was reached between the two clubs, so West Ham’s striker search looks like it will go right to the wire.
Assessing all options
Reports claimed that West Ham were prepared for this eventuality, and had not put all of their eggs in one basket with Alberto, as they continue negotiations with PSG over the potential of signing Ekitike, although they face competition from Brentford, Crystal Palace and Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Hammers have been in desperate need of a new striker since Gianluca Scamacca made the decision to return to Italy and signed with Atalanta, leaving the club with just Michail Antonio and Danny Ings in the striker department.
Both of the current West Ham strikers have been linked with a move away, to Saudi Arabia and Everton respectively, but the East London club are reluctant to let them leave unless they can find a replacement – which now looks increasingly unlikely.
This could be one to watch right until we reach the transfer deadline on 1 September, with the Hammers now frantically searching for reinforcements in a race against the clock to secure the deals they want to do and provide David Moyes with more options.
In other West Ham news, the club may be forced to sell a star to avoid Premier League rule breaches.