Lyon striker Moussa Dembele has allegedly rejected the chance to join West Ham United in the summer transfer window.
That’s according to a report from Foot Mercato who claim that the Hammers made a move to sign the 26-year-old centre-forward but were knocked back by the ex-Celtic ace.
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Foot Mercato then suggested that the Hammers had firmed up their interest by making an official offer to the Frenchman and his agents.
That approach has allegedly been rejected by the striker though…
Moussa Dembele spurns West Ham advances
Foot Mercato claims that the 26-year-old Lyon forward was wanted by West Ham, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Wolves.
All five Premier League clubs are believed to have made a move to sign him but Dembele would allegedly prefer to remain at Lyon.
He is out of contract with the Ligue 1 side next summer so he will either sign a new deal with them or leave on a free transfer in 12 month’s time.
We’re not too bothered about missing out on Dembele in all fairness.
He’s a decent striker and has bagged an impressive 149 goals in 325 career club games. For Lyon, he has racked up 67 goals in 144 outings (Transfermarkt).
The Frenchman is a proven goalscorer but in truth, he just doesn’t fit into West Ham’s system. He’s certainly not better than Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio offers way more than him from a work-rate perspective.
Whilst we think missing out on Dembele isn’t the end of the world, if the report is true, it means that David Moyes wanted him at the London Stadium.
And if the Scot hasn’t got his man, then it’s obviously bad news for him.
We still think that West Ham can do a lot better than Moussa Dembele though. And let’s face it, Lyon were demanding €25 million (£21 million) for the 26-year-old this summer (Football Transfers) – that’s way to much money to be paying for someone who has just entered the final year of their contract.
Read other West Ham news:
Moyes reportedly wants to sign Chelsea star with 33 int’l caps
‘Multiple bids for multiple players’: West Ham insider shares hugely exciting transfer claim