West Ham made a last ditch offer worth nearly £30m for a star before deadline but left it too late to negotiate with PSG for Hugo Ekitike.
That’s according to a Foot Mercato journalist in France.
Just before 5pm on deadline day Hammers News spoke to our top source inside West Ham and were told any arrivals were “unlikely” as the club were linked with moves for a striker and left-back.
And so it proved as the deadline came and went without the Hammers adding to their four superb signings of the summer transfer window.
West Ham made last ditch £30m offer for star before deadline but left it too late to negotiate with PSG for Hugo Ekitike
One player heavily linked throughout the transfer window was PSG outcast Hugo Ekitike.
PSG had been trying to force Ekitike to join Eintracht Frankfurt to help their efforts to bring Randal Kolo Muani in from West Ham’s German foes.
In the end PSG managed to get a straight cash deal done. And it seems that prompted West Ham to try again for Ekitike.
Because West Ham made a last ditch offer worth nearly £30m for the star before deadline but left it too late to negotiate with PSG for Ekitike.
That’s according to Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna who said the Hammer reactivated their efforts to sign the jet-heeled Frenchman just before 9pm.
Hammers wanted £4m loan with £26m option two hours before window closed
West Ham allegedly offered a £4m loan with a £26m option to buy for Ekitike, a player the club tried to sign in January 2022. But PSG rejected the bid and there was no room for negotiation with just two hours left of the window.
“West Ham has reactivated the track leading to Hugo Ekitike in recent hours,” Aouna said.
“The Hammers wanted to offer a paid loan of 5M€ (£4m) + option to buy 30M€ (£26m).
“Paris refused.”
Remains to be seen whether West Ham regret not signing a striker but Moyes has several options
Whether West Ham live to regret not signing a striker remains to be seen.
The club are set for another 50 game plus season over land and sea and have just Michail Antonio, Danny Ings and young forward Divin Mubama as bonafide striker options.
Although Jarrd Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Jesse Lingard – should be join – can all play up front or as s second striker.
It did not stop West Ham reclaiming their place at the top of the fledgling Premier League table last night as Bowen and Kurt Zouma scored in a 2-1 win at Luton.