Deals for Gianluca Scamacca and Armando Broja both hit stumbling blocks
By Alex Smith
West Ham are in the market for a striker this summer with Armando Broja and Gianluca Scamacca top of the club’s list.
But both potential transfers have hit a slight bump in the road, according to claims from @ExWHUemployee.
Broja is set to be tested in pre-season by Chelsea and he will not be allowed to leave until they sign more attackers and Scamacca is undecided on a move to the Hammers.
West Ham remain hopeful of signing Armando Broja or Gianluca Scamacca but both deals have met stumbling blocks.
Regarding Broja, the 20-year-old striker, who impressed so much while on loan at Southampton last season, is believed to be keen on a move to West Ham.
But Chelsea will only sanction his sale if they can bolster their depth up front. He could cost between £25million – £30million but Chelsea are not in need of the cash before they can do their only signings.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is working hard on defensive signings at the moment for example, Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli and Nathan Ake from Man City.
He stressed in an interview recently more attackers is not the priority at the moment amid interest in Man United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and after completing a deal to sign Raheem Sterling from the Premier League champions for £50million.
West Ham may have to wait for Chelsea to sort their business out before they get the green light to buy Broja. This will be disappointing news as he is believed to be David Moyes’ first choice striker.
As for Scamacca, West Ham have held discussions with Sassuolo over a transfer for him. The clubs have talked about a potential fee and the likelihood of an agreement being struck. A transfer would cost around £33million.
Paris Saint-Germain are in for Scamacca and that is of course an attractive offer to him. However, the 23-year-old is concerned that he will not get regular minutes for the French club. He is also rumoured to prefer staying in his homeland of Italy at the moment.
West Ham do have other targets and attention could turn to those players as a result of hitting these hurdles.
Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri is one name that has been mentioned.
There has also been talk over Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis, meanwhile West Ham are also monitoring his teammate, winger Ismalia Sarr.
Hellas Verona’s Giovanni Simeone is another one of Moyes’ long-term targets and West Ham are reportedly ready to battle Napoli for his services. The Argentine is expected to be available for £17million.