West Ham weighing up offer for in-demand Montpellier striker Elye Wahi
- The Hammers considering a bid for Wahi after approaching Montpellier
- Arsenal & Chelsea have shown interest; Monaco may also bid & Eintracht Frankfurt keen
- West Ham signed Edson Alvarez on Thursday and closing in on deals for James Ward-Prowse and Harry Maguire
West Ham United have contacted Montpellier over striker Elye Wahi and are weighing up an offer, 90min understands.
The Hammers confirmed their first major signing of the summer on Thursday, committing Edson Alvarez to a five-year contract after agreeing to pay Ajax up to £34m for his services.
£30m deals are also in place for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, while West Ham also have eyes on signing a new striker, wide forward and left back before the window closes on September 1 – the club have money to spend after selling Declan Rice to Arsenal for a British-record fee of £105m.
90min previously revealed that West Ham had shown an interest in 20-year-old Wahi, who bagged 19 goals for Montpellier in Ligue 1, amid concerns that Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq, managed by Steven Gerrard, may try to prise Michail Antonio away from London Stadium.
That move hasn't come to fruition but Gianluca Scamacca has departed West Ham, joining Atalanta on a permanent basis. His exit has left the club a little light up front, with Antonio, Danny Ings and academy striker Divin Mubama the options at David Moyes' disposal.
Sources have now confirmed to 90min that West Ham have made contact with Montpellier over Wahi - a player admired by technical director Tim Steidten - with a view to making an offer for the France Under-21 international.
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But getting a deal over the line won't be easy. Wahi has generated considerable interest this summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea among his Premier League suitors - the latter have been made a verbal offer. Ligue 1 giants Monaco are also considering a bid, though crucially they can't offer European football this season like West Ham can, and Eintracht Frankfurt think Wahi could be the ideal fit to replace Randal Kolo Muani.
Kolo Muani has been strongly linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich this summer, as well as Manchester United, and 90min understands that West Ham have enquired about his potential price tag too - PSG are leading the charge though as they cast Kylian Mbappe to one side in a furious dispute over his future, and it looks increasingly likely that Kolo Muani will return to Ligue 1 if a fee can be agreed.
Montpellier are expected to demand a fee of at least £35m for Wahi, though they still may look to keep him after renewing his contract just six months ago.
West Ham's other major piece of business surrounds the interest from Premier League champions Manchester City in Lucas Paqueta. A verbal £70m offer was swiftly rejected by the Hammers, who don't want to sell the Brazilian, but it's expected that the treble winners will imminently return with an improved bid.
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