The riches over in the Middle East could severely impact West Ham United this summer it seems.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui and director of football Tim Steidten have been on an absolute mission in the summer transfer window so far.
Three new faces have already been brought to the London Stadium, but there is one key problem that Lopetegui and Steidten still have to address.
The addition of a centre-forward should be the main priority of the West Ham boss and the director of football between now and the end of the transfer window.
And in fairness to them, that is the position where all their attention is reportedly now focused.
The Hammers cannot afford to head into the 2024/25 season without a new number nine.
Michail Antonio has done a fine job for West Ham over the past few years, but he’s quite simply not good enough to lead the line for us in the Premier League any more.
A big upgrade is required on the Jamaica international, and that’s what makes the latest news so baffling…
West Ham could miss out on Simon Banza to Middle East money
So the Hammers transfer team are seemingly sitting on their hands while the perfect striker for us closes in on a move out to the Middle East.
According to a report from Portuguese outlet O Jogo, Simon Banza is tempted by a move out to the United Arab Emirates, after he received an offer from one of the Pro League clubs.
Braga are demanding around £15 million for the Congolese ace, but despite firm interest from the Hammers, no acceptable offers have yet been made by the East London club.
Why oh why are we sitting around doing nothing here? The 27-year-old is the perfect fit for the Hammers and more specifically Lopetegui’s playing style.
The Hammers have been heavily linked with a move to sign the Braga star this summer, but it seems as though we could miss out on him now.
The 27-year-old bagged 21 goals in 28 league games for Braga last season – second only to Viktor Gyokeres in the Primeira Liga goalscoring charts.
Standing at 6ft 2in tall, He is an absolute unit, and thrives when mixing it up physically with opposing centre-backs.
The DR Congo international is absolutely rapid, and possesses the kind of work ethic that will help him thrive in Lopetegui’s system.
In my opinion, signing Simon Banza for just £15 million this summer should be an absolute no-brainer.
So why on earth are we letting a move to the Middle East even materialise for him? The only consolation I can think of is that Lopetegui and Steidten must have something even better lined up.
Fingers crossed that turns out to be the case.
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