West Ham have a significant advantage over London rivals Tottenham in the race to sign Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik, according to today’s Corriere dello Sport (print edition).
The Hammers were originally linked with the Polish forward in the summer and they have since been joined by Spurs in their admiration of the 56-cap international.
It is now claimed by Corriere dello Sport that Milik would favour a switch to east London over Spurs due to the likelihood of only playing backup for Harry Kane under Jose Mourinho at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 26-year-old would likely play a leading role for David Moyes’ Irons, with Michail Antonio regularly beset by hamstring issues and Sebastien Haller struggling to find any consistency.
Milik has an impressive goal record of 114 in 271 career club appearances, including 14 last season in all competitions. The prolific striker – who stands at 6 foot 1 and offers an aerial threat – could be made available for just £13.6m, with ongoing aggravation between him and Napoli making a departure seem inevitable.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
What has happened between Milik and the Serie A club is a shame that has resulted in the Polish star missing out on all first team action this season.
With that relationship completely beyond repair, the 26-year-old must be desperate to find regular game-time, something which the Hammers could well offer him.
One stumbling block for West Ham could be Atletico Madrid’s reported interest in the striker. The La Liga side have space for an additional striker in their squad after the departure of Diego Costa.
The reported asking price – which is less than his market value – for a proven top-flight scorer with plenty of years left in him is highly realistic and should be under serious consideration among the West Ham hierarchy.
A signing of this calibre would prove the club’s credentials and suggest they do want to mix it with the bigger teams in the Premier League.
