West Ham Edging Closer To Striker Signing

West Ham’s hunt for a new striker may be getting closer to being over, the club have upped their interest in one of their main targets.

After cutting ties with record signing Sebastien Haller, West Ham left themselves with only one senior striker in the team. Michail Antonio has been the first choice since the end of the last season but is prone to injury. Mipo Obudeko is a great prospect but is still too young to be relied on regularly.

West Ham have been linked with interest with many strikers from far and wide. Rumours of a Marko Arnautovic return and moves for Slavia Prague striker Abdullah Sima have proven to be fruitless. The club have been looking for a striker to fit their system better than Haller and to be fitter than Antonio.

Boulaye Dia is apparently that man to take on the striker position for the Hammers. The Senegalese striker is very similar to Antonio in his playstyle. The 24-year-old is quick, strong and powerful in his movement. These attributes will make him ideal for David Moyes’ style of football.

Currently, at Stade De Reims, Dia only has 18 months left on his contract, and the French club have reluctantly decided to sell their prized asset. West Ham are now believed to be moving ahead with a deal for Dia and want to have it wrapped up as soon as possible.

The reported fee for Dia is around £15 million, which is much less than the fee the Hammers received for Haller. The Senegalese striker has been a lot more prolific in front of goal than the former Hammer. Dia has scored 12 goals in 17 appearances this season.

West Ham are due to play on Saturday against Burnley and would be buoyed if they were able to name the striker in the matchday squad. That speed of deal may be optimistic at this point though.