West Ham United could be about to lodge a formal offer for a highly talented Belgian attacker it seems.
However, it could be argued that the Hammers don’t actually need him, as strange as that might seem.
West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui has already made three new signings, and has been been linked with plenty more, with Fikayo Tomori the latest name to be mooted as a Hammers target.
Lopetegui will be fully aware that he needs to bring another four new signings to the London Stadium this summer, if he is to oversee some genuine progress at the club.
The Hammers chief has a transfer budget of around £90 million to spend this summer, not including player sales, so he’ll have to be thrifty in his player recruitment.
There are definitely some good bargains to be had in the transfer market this summer.
However, the latest name to be linked with a move to West Ham just doesn’t get the juices flowing…
West Ham could bid for Alexis Saelemaekers
With just under four weeks remaining before the new Premier League season kicks off, Lopetegui will be desperate to get a few more signings wrapped up.
His need for a new striker, a central midfielder and another centre-back has been well-documented already.
However, it seems as though West Ham’s next signing could be yet another right winger…
According to a report from Calcio Mercato, Alexis Saelemaekers is firmly in the Hammers’ sights, and we could lodge a £17 million bid for the AC Milan star as soon as tomorrow.
Interestingly, the East London outfit were heavily linked with signing the 26-year-old last summer.
However, I’m really not sure we need him.
Although the Belgium international can play as a left winger, his natural position is out wide on the right – an area where we are already incredibly strong.
His record isn’t great either. He bagged just four goals and three assists in 32 games last season, and has racked only up 16 goals and 28 assists 242 career outings.
Those numbers don’t inspire me one little bit. Besides, I really feel like Lopetegui should be prioritising the addition of a left winger, rather than another right-sided attacker.
The Spaniard needs to bring in someone to replace Said Benrahma, and Alexis Saelemaekers quite simply isn’t the man for the job as far as I’m concerned.
There are plenty of better options out there available for West Ham this summer, like Jota Silva, Steven Bergwijn and Reiss Nelson to name just a few.
READ ALSO:
West Ham player ratings vs Dagenham – lightweight 5/10 Hammer flops, 9/10 star steals show
West Ham superstar holds meeting with mega-rich club about summer transfer
Lopetegui’s cunning plan to use U-21 ace in new position is a terrible transfer omen for West Ham
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
