A new report claims West Ham are now in pole position to sign Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah despite his big bust up with Declan Rice.
West Ham have been heavily linked with a move for Gunners bit-part player Nketiah for some time.
David Moyes has always maintained he wants to continue building West Ham around young, athletic players hungry to prove themselves at the top level.
West Ham – like Arsenal – desperately need to sign at least one new striker in the summer.
Nketiah is particularly attractive to West Ham given he is out of contract this summer.
The record England Under 21 goal scorer has been starting games for Arsenal in recent weeks and performing well too.
So much so there have been suggestions he could be persuaded to snub summer interest from West Ham and stay with the Gunners.
Nketiah played well in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over West Ham recently. The game was notable for a flashpoint between Nketiah and West Ham skipper Rice – his former Chelsea academy teammate and friend.
The pair had to be pulled apart as Rice confronted Nketiah over his time-wasting antics with West Ham looking for an equaliser.
Rice seriously lost it with Nketiah and heated words were exchanged as the pair butted heads.
Report: West Ham leading race to sign star who had big bust up with Rice
Well now it appears the pair could be teammates again next season.
Because a new report claims West Ham are now in pole position to sign Arsenal star Nketiah despite the big bust up with Rice.
A Daily Mail “exclusive” overnight states that West Ham are ready to take advantage of Nketiah’s contract stand-off with Arsenal.
The report claims ‘Moyes’s Hammers are understood to be in pole position to pounce for him’.
“A number of clubs are on alert but West Ham are understood to be in pole position to pounce for the 22-year-old,” The Daily Mail reports.
Nketiah would be a smart signing by West Ham.
He ticks all of the boxes in Moyes’s recruitment policy, offers something completely different to Michail Antonio and is on a free transfer.
That is particularly important given West Ham face a big rebuild this summer with at least six – and as many as eight – new signings needed with players retiring, out of contract or not in Moyes’s plans.