Serious questions will be asked at West Ham United if prime David Moyes target Youssef En-Nesyri signs for Premier League rivals Brighton.
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 in April, it was claimed that the Hammers wanted En-Nesyri so much they actually submitted an offer for the 24-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window (Il Milanista).
It is easy to see why Moyes wants him so much. En-Nesyri is super quick, agile and knows where the goal is, scoring 24 times for Sevilla last season with 18 La Liga goals in just 23 games.
But the winter and summer windows passed without En-Nesyri – or indeed any striker for that matter – joining.
Moyes admitted none of the strikers he wanted were available (Independent).
That has left Michail Antonio as Moyes’s only legitimate striker option.
And given the injury-prone forward cannot play every game of West Ham’s jam-packed season, it means the Hammers will be left short.
Earlier this month it was reported that West Ham will go back in for En-Nesyri in January.
But new reports from the likes of Sussex Live have claimed that he could sign for Prem rivals Brighton instead.
Serious questions will be asked at West Ham if prime David Moyes target Youssef En-Nesyri signs for Brighton
If West Ham allow that to happen, serious questions have to be asked.
No disrespect to Brighton – a fantastically well run club with a lovely training ground and excellent manager – but West Ham should be blowing them out of the water when it comes to transfers.
The Hammers are a much bigger club, playing in Europe, paying bigger wages with a bigger fanbase and following, bigger stadium and have the lure of London.
Graham Potter has built a very good side at the Amex.
Indeed they are probably just a quality striker away from really challenging for a place in Europe themselves.
But if West Ham have been tracking En-Nesyri since January then they can’t allow Moyes’s prime target to go elsewhere.
In fairness to Brighton, they have been tracking En-Nesyri for a lot longer than West Ham – since 2019 in fact.
The striker’s agent revealed he pulled the plug on a move to Brighton when his client was at Leganes telling him he could do better.