West Ham United want to sign Troyes forward Mama Balde in January
West Ham want to sign Troyes forward Mama Balde in the January transfer window after making a striker their priority this month, according to Foot Mercato.
The Hammers want to add another striker to the squad after struggling for goals this season, leaving them in the relegation zone at the half-way point in the season.
After chasing Youssef En-Nesyri and Terem Moffi so far in this window, Foot Mercato (16 January) now report that the performances of the Burkina-Faso international this season have caught their eye.
“Faced with the difficulties encountered in the Moffi file, West Ham could fall back on the Troyes striker,” they wrote (16 January).
“The Hammers have come to supervise him and could make an offer before the end of the transfer window”
Interesting
With plenty of speculation that Michail Antonio is open to leaving the club this month with Wolves interested according to Alan Nixon, it’s obvious that West Ham are looking for replacements.
There have been lots of names linked, but with money said to be tight it’s no surprise that a lot of the names would be considered as gambles.
Balde has scored eight goals and registered three assists in 17 Ligue 1 appearances this season, but prior to that he has found himself playing as a right-back and as a winger – a lot like Antonio.
He’s never been more prolific than he has been this season, and with the team lacking goals it would surely be a better option to keep Antonio around knowing that he is capable of performing in the Premier League.
If he’s pushing for a move a replacement needs to be found, but this seems like too big of a reach to do mid-season and the club should be looking elsewhere instead.