West Ham will reportedly ‘continue to follow’ Reims striker Boulaye Dia as the end of the January transfer window approaches, according to France Football.
The Hammers were heavily linked with Dia as a replacement for Sebastien Haller earlier in the window before other potential targets seemingly overtook the Frenchman on David Moyes’ wish list.
However, the fresh report from France claims that the 24-year-old, who has an impressive 12 league goals in 19 Ligue 1 appearances this season, remains on the Hammers’ radar. There is also interest from Italy as Serie A trio Napoli, AC Milan and Torino show their internet in Dia, who has a market value of £10.8m according to Transfermarkt.
West Ham moved up to fourth in the Premier League following Tuesday night’s 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace, with qualification for European competition next season a distinct possibility.
However, with defensive midfielder Tomas Soucek currently the club’s leading scorer, tied on seven in all competitions with the now-departed Haller, therein lies a potential problem moving forward.
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Moyes’ squad may have needed an additional striker even before the start of the January window, ever before the situation was amplified by the sale of Haller.
Although Michail Antonio epitomises everything that has driven the Irons into the upper echelons of the table, he has already missed a large portion of the campaign with two hamstring problems, so all hopes can’t be pinned on his fitness for the rest of the season.
Dia may be considered as the foremost ideal solution for Moyes, and that could well prove unattainable in this window. Therefore, having a fallback option as the deadline fast approaches will be pivotal to ensure that the Hammers aren’t left to rue the sale of a certain Ivory Coast international.
