West Ham United suffer January transfer blow as Man United news on Serhou Guirassy emerges today
West Ham have been dealt a blow in their bid to sign Serhou Guirassy in the January transfer window after a Manchester United development has emerged.
Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg tweeted on Friday (1 December) that the Red Devils are “very interested” in signing the 27-year-old VfB Stuttgart forward.
He added that the Hammers’ Premier League rivals are a “serious” option for the Guinea international, who is available for less than £17.1million (€20million) in January.
This development is likely to be met with great disappointment by the Irons’ hierarchy after 90min reported on 11 October that they have sent scouts to watch Guirassy this season.
That comes as no real surprise after his form in the Bundesliga has been absolutely incredible, having scored 15 goals in just 10 games this season.
That puts him three goals behind Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane in the scoring charts, while third on the list – RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda – is six strikes behind Guirassy on nine.
The forward was also in fairly decent form last season, where he scored 11 goals in 22 league matches on loan at Stuttgart before making the permanent switch from Rennes over the summer.
His performances have put several clubs across Europe on high alert about his availability, with Man United now looking set to firm up their interest in signing him.
The £17.1million fee he is available for due to a clause in his contract could make him an absolute steal for the side that does manage to prize him away from the German club.
West Ham may still try and press ahead with a deal for the Guinean after their frailties up front have been highlighted this season, with Michail Antonio struck down through injury and Danny Ings failing to find any form.
The Hammers would be foolish to not make a move for the marksman as his large, 6’2″ presence and running ability mark him down as a David Moyes kind of forward.
It certainly won’t be an easy task, but European football and a regular place in the starting lineup – something other clubs won’t be able to offer him – are an attractive proposition for any player trying to take the next step in their career.
If he does decide to make the move to the London Stadium, let’s just hope he doesn’t fall victim to the Irons curse that has hampered several promising forwards over the years.
In other West Ham news, a BBC journalist has detailed what type of player the Hammers need to sign in January.