West Ham January transfer update: David Moyes seems to have hit a brick wall in his attempts to sign one striker in particular this month.
The Hammers are still sitting in fourth spot in the Premier League table.
However, our defeat to Leeds yesterday and the options Moyes had at his disposal on the bench proved that we are at least two or three players short of having a squad capable of challenging for the Champions League places this season.
In other news…Report claims West Ham won’t even pay £3m for key Moyes target and it’s really bad news
The two glaring weakness as far as squad depth is concerned are the centre-forward and centre-back departments.
If West Ham are to have any chance of a top four finish this season, the additions of a striker and a central defender will be an absolute must in the January transfer window.
One striker in particular who the Hammers are believed to be chasing is Clermont hitman Mohamed Bayo according to the likes of Le10 Sport and The Sun.
Le 10 Sport reckon the 23-year-old could be available for around £9 million this month. That sounds like great value to us.
The Guinea international has bagged nine goals and two assists in 17 Ligue 1 games for Clermont so far this term. That has come after racking up 22 goals and eight assists in 38 league games last season (Transfermarkt).
It appears as though there is a spanner in the works for the Hammers though…
West Ham January transfer update
Bayo is a hard-working forward with pace in abundance. He seemingly has everything needed to succeed in the Premier League.
The Hammers may well have our work cut-out if we are to sign him this month, however.
The Sun journalist Alan Nixon claims that Clermont are not prepared to allow Bayo to leave in January due to the fact that they are in danger of getting relegated this season:
Clermont are currently sitting in 16th spot in the Ligue 1 table, just one point clear of 18th placed Lorient.
So their stance on Bayo is totally understandable.
The thing is though, if David Moyes really likes the 23-year-old striker and genuinely wants to bring him to the London Stadium, then West Ham should be making Clermont an offer they can’t refuse.
Money talks and the Hammers have far greater financial power than Clermont do.
If Bayo could be the difference between West Ham finishing inside the top four and missing out, then the owners need to offer Clermont, £15-20 million for the Guinean.
That fee would be more than worth it for the East London outfit, if Moyes deems Bayo to be his number one striker target of course.
Whatever happens, it’s clear to see that we need to sign a striker desperately. And that means that we may well need to pay over the odds to bring one in this month.
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