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West Ham United Enter 4-way Race For 21-goal Striker
West Ham are reportedly in a four-way battle with Brentford, Fulham and Wolves for the signing of Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Having helped the Hammers to the Europa Conference League triumph in Prague last month, David Moyes—after negotiating difficult periods throughout the 2022-23 season—wants to reinforce his squad. As the club is set to lose Declan Rice this summer amid interest from Manchester clubs and Arsenal, he will want to replace his skipper. In addition, the Scotsman also wants to add a new striker to his attacking ranks.
According to The Daily Mail, West Ham are pushing to land Coventry City’s £25million-rated striker Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish attacker is also attracting interest from Europe, with Sporting Lisbon keen to make a deal as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at Coventry.
Gyokeres, 25, was the standout player in the Championship last season, scoring 21 goals and laying on 12 assists on top, helping Coventry reach the play-off final, where they lost on penalties to Luton Town. The forward’s rich exploits in the second tier of English football has sparked a frenzy for his signature, but the Sky Blues are calm amid the flurry of interest, the report adds.
Viktor Gyokeres to West Ham—Should they make a move?
David Moyes desperately needs to strengthen his striker options having seen West Ham struggle for goals last season. Michail Antonio blew hot and cold throughout the 2022-23 campaign while Gianluca Scamacca endured a tough debut year in east London.
Danny Ings was also brought in January to add goals to the side, however, the English striker has also struggled to find form for the east Londoners. Surprisingly, the Hammers are open to giving up on Scamacca after just 12 months, with the Italian international closing in on a loan deal to AS Roma.
As a result, Moyes is on the hunt for a new striker and has set his sights on Coventry’s Viktor Gyokeres, who was head and shoulders above everyone in the Championship last term. He has proven to be a reliable source of goals for Coventry in the Championship since arriving from Brighton in 2021—initially on loan—and his 21 goals plus 12 assists simply cannot be ignored.
The Swede is ready to make the step up to the Premier League, and he could prove to be a quality addition to West Ham’s attacking unit. The 25-year-old has just 12 months left on his current contract, and while Coventry are understood to be calm over the situation, internally they will be under pressure to sell him if he does not sign an extension.
Keeping that in mind, West Ham must accelerate their pursuit of Gyokeres and look to sign him as quickly as possible, with the £25 million asking price seemingly reasonable for a player of his ability and potential.
