West Ham United have once again been linked with a move for longstanding striker target Youssef En-Nesyri.
The Hammers have been linked with a move for the prolific Moroccan striker ever since selling Sebastien Haller to Ajax in January.
The Athletic claimed towards the end of January that West Ham made a £27 million bid for the Sevilla forward but it was swiftly rejected by Spanish side.
And as recently as April, it was claimed that the Hammers actually submitted an offer for the 24-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window (Il Milanista).
But the winter and summer windows passed without En-Nesyri – or indeed any striker for that matter – joining.
That has left Michail Antonio as David Moyes’s only legitimate striker option.
And although Jarrod Bowen has shown he is capable of filling in, West Ham undoubtedly need a new forward – most likely in the next window given Antonio’s injury history.
Well according to new reports in Spain which have also been reported by West Ham insiders Claret and Hugh, the Irons will return for En-Nesyri during the January window as Moyes refuse to take no for an answer.
Claret and Hugh have cast some doubt over the claims, which have also been reported on Football Fan Cast and The Hard Tackle in the last 48 hours or so.
But if Antonio ends up struggling with his hamstrings during the hectic fixture schedule, West Ham may be left with no choice but to go big to get the man they want.
With three goals and an assist from his first five matches this term, En-Nesyri has continued in the rich form which saw him find the back of the net 24 times last season – six in the Champions League.
So he will likely cost a pretty penny.
In the meantime, though, West Ham’s new head of recruitment Rob Newman has around three months to identify other potential targets within the club’s budget who meet Moyes’s transfer philosophy.
And the key will be availability.
As Moyes admitted in an interview with The Independent recently that the strikers he wanted simply were not available for transfer in the summer.
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