West Ham seem set on Reims striker Boulaye Dia as an ideal replacement for Sebastien Haller, but the latest reports claim that the Hammers have fallen short of the asking price for the striker.
Boulaye Dia currently tops the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts with 12 goals in just 17 Ligue 1 appearances this season – level with PSG sensation and then-teenage World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.
With Michail Antonio left as the sole striker in David Moyes’ squad, a replacement for Haller in the wake of his sale is a necessity.
The Hammers saw a surprise bid from Ajax come in during the January window and saw the bid as too good to turn down – despite representing less than half of the fee that the Irons paid Eintracht Frankfurt for Haller in 2019.
Haller only managed 10 league appearances despite appearing almost 50 times in the English top flight, raising serious questions over his reliability as a scorer.
A report from Sky Sports has claimed that top target Dia could be available for as little as £10 million.
However, domestic reports from French TV company Telefoot Chaine [via TEAMTalk] have claimed that the Hammers have instead offered £8.9 million (€10 million).
Reims are reportedly holding out for €15 million, which contrasts Sky’s earlier report.
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Even on Reims’ terms, the figure quoted for Dia looks to be an absolute steal.
The Senegalese striker certainly knows how to find the back of the net, given his good ratio of goals in appearances.
He could be a useful alternative or even a secondary acquisition to another reported target in Arkadiusz Milik, who could also be available for a knockdown fee.
