West Ham want to sign ‘exciting’ England youth international Baylee Dipepa

West Ham have joined the race to sign Port Vale striker Baylee Dipepa, according to The Standard.

The newspaper reported online (24 May) that the Hammers are one of several clubs tracking the 17-year-old.

Scouts are keeping an eye on Dipepa, who signed his first professional contract in January, with West Ham expected to face competition from Midlands-based clubs.

Port Vale have high hopes for Dipepa, with the club’s director of football David Flitcroft describing the striker as an “exciting” player when he signed his contract, which runs until 2026.

Bayle Dipepa could become a star at the London Stadium with West Ham United

Based on what Dipepa has achieved in his short career so far, all signs point toward the youngster becoming a star.

He only made his professional debut this season, becoming Port Vale’s second-youngest goalscorer in March.

Dipepa is currently competing with England at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where he scored in his side’s 4-0 win over France’s Under-17s on Tuesday (21 May).

If the right club gets hold of him and helps to aid his development, Dipepa could become a very useful asset.

For Premier League sides to have already taken notice suggests there is a lot of potential there, and this would represent a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Hammers.

Julen Lopetegui will hope his club are busy in the transfer window this summer, and getting a deal wrapped up early for an exciting English youngster would be a good start.

West Ham
Signing a striker is one of Julen Lopetegui’s main priorities at West Ham this summer

Although the Hammers are set to face competition, there is no reason why they can’t win the race for Dipepa’s signature.

In other West Ham news, a journalist has detailed what Lucas Paqueta did to David Moyes amid controversy surrounding the midfielder.

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