West Ham face growing competition if they want to sign Reims striker Boulaye Dia in the summer, according to a report from French publication Le10 Sport.
The Hammers were believed to be interested in the Senegalese forward during the January transfer window after the departure of Sebastien Haller, but the Irons refused to meet the Ligue 1 side’s asking price.
That hesitation could now lead to West Ham missing out altogether on the man they ‘continue to follow’ as Le10 Sport claimed that Napoli, AC Milan, Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt have all joined the race for his services.
The 24-year-old, who has 12 league goals this season, has a contract with Reims until 2022 and owing to the ongoing financial crisis in the French top flight, they could be forced to sell him at the end of this season.
Dia’s market value stands at £10.8m according to Transfermarkt and his current employers have previously mooted £13m (€15m) as the minimum fee required to capture the powerful striker.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Despite West Ham’s excellent season so far, signing a striker in January ought to have been a necessity. That belief has only been heightened recently as Michail Antonio misses more matches with hamstring problems, leaving Moyes without a recognised centre-forward.
Whether Dia is the chosen one when West Ham go in search again in the summer remains to be seen, but with a more than respectable goal return this season and an affordable price tag, he ought to be among the leading contenders.
