West Ham United have been given new hope of signing a Euro star striker as he sees a second move falter in a crazy twist.
It is now 11 days since West Ham switched their full focus to signing a striker.
But West Ham’s search for a new forward is proving far from straightforward.
The Hammers have been linked with a plethora of forwards this summer.
From Youssef En-Nesyri and Jhon Duran to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Samu Omorodion and Alexander Sorloth.
West Ham are baulking at Villa’s demands of £35m for Colombian forward Duran.
Hammers striking out in new forward hunt
Hammers majority owner David Sullivan has sent a message to Everton about a deal for Calvert-Lewin.
West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui is a big fan of Atletico Madrid’s Spanish striker Omorodion. But he may prove too expensive because Diego Simeone wants to keep him.
Villarreal have rejected a £25m bid for Sorloth from West Ham.
So technical director Tim Steidten and Lopetegui have been left frustrated so far in their striker hunt.
But now a crazy twist could see the Hammers given a second chance at signing one that looked to have got away.
West Ham get new hope of signing a Euro star striker as a second move falters.
West Ham’s new hope of signing Euro star as second move falters
The Hammers made an offer in excess of £20m to Metz for Georgian goal hero Georges Mikautadze recently.
Mikautadze was also on Steidten’s list last summer.
At 23 years of age, the diminutive striker fits West Ham’s new recruitment profile perfectly.
The Hammers were heavily linked with Mikautadze last summer when he was at Metz. But he joined Dutch giants Ajax instead as they looked to replace that man Mohammed Kudus when he moved to the London Stadium.
Mikautadze struggled at Ajax and was loaned back to Metz in January with an option for them to re-sign him permanently.
The Georgian instantly rediscovered his best form. He scored 13 goals, laid on four assists and was named man of the match four times in just 20 appearances.
Since then he was a bright star in an otherwise dull Euros, scoring three goals and impressing with his all-round play.
The likes of Goal reported West Ham submitted a bid in excess of his reported £16m valuation as Metz completed their obligation to buy and look to sell him on for an immediate profit.
First Monaco now Lyon move on brink of collapse for Mikautadze
There was a big blow for West Ham, though, when it emerged Mikautadze was joining Monaco instead at the weekend.
That move fell through at the 11th hour.
But before West Ham had the chance to reassess the situation, Lyon swooped and Mikautadze was all set to join former Hammer Said Benrahma there instead.
In another bizarre twist, though, that move is now on the brink of collapse too.
According to French journalist Angelo Salemi of RL Sports, Lyon and Metz have failed to reach an agreement for the alleged West Ham target.
Salemi says the ‘endless soap opera has not delivered it’s expected outcome’.
The reporter does state there is a chance it might be resolved.
But the suggestion is Mikautadze is now very much available again if West Ham revive their bid.
Given the issues West Ham appear to be having finding value in the striker market, Mikautadze’s second move faltering could play right into the club’s hands.
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