West Ham's failed bid to sign Alieu Njie revealed as agent speaks out

West Ham United failed with a bid to sign Alieu Njie from Torino during the summer transfer window.

Njie, 21, was not linked with the Hammers through any reports that West Ham Zone covered during the summer.

He ended up signing on loan at Fiorentina, who have the obligation to sign the Sweden Under-21s international permanently next year.

However, he could have signed for West Ham, according to the player's agent.

Njie made his debut for Fiorentina at the weekend, coincedentally against Torino, who won the Serie A game 2-1 in Florence.

But how close was he to potentially turning out for West Ham?

What Alieu Njie's agent said about West Ham's interest

According to Sandro Martone, the Irons weren't the only club keen on signing Njie before he joined Fiorentina on 30 August.

It seems Crystal Palace actually tried to hijack Fiorentina's deal while the young Swedish winger was undergoing his medical with them.

West Ham's pursuit didn't go further than a bid for the Serie A attacker, but it's interesting to see the agent reveal so much detail about the move after it happened.

Speaking to Viola News, he said: "Between the end of July and the beginning of August, Salzburg were very close to finalising his purchase. Then there was Crystal Palace, as well as an official offer presented by West Ham to Torino.

"A curious anecdote concerns Crystal Palace itself: on the very morning of the medical with Fiorentina, when the negotiations with the Viola had already been finalised in the media, the English club sent Torino a new offer matching [Fiorentina sporting director Fabio] Paratici's fee.

"The boy's characteristics are a great fit for the Premier League, but Alieu made a clear choice: he really wanted Fiorentina."

Any chance of a future move?

As long as West Ham are in the Championship, it's always going to be harder for them to sign players like Njie.

Serie A is a good league to buy players from but it's going to be hard to convince them to join the second tier of English football.

The Hammers should win promotion this season, and players like Njie could come back on their radar if Fiorentina decide to sell him for a profit next year.

Fiorentina will pay around £13.5million for Njie next year if the conditions of their obligation-to-buy clause are met.

If he plays plenty and continues to impress in Serie A, there's no doubt he'll be worth a lot more than that.