West Ham are widely expected to prioritise a striker signing this summer having suffered in the department following Sebastien Haller’s departure in January.
The Ivorian wasn’t replaced in the squad at The London Stadium and a subsequent injury to Michail Antonio left David Moyes bereft of options.
Numerous names have been linked with the Hammers in recent weeks, with the likes of Tammy Abraham, Adam Armstrong and Ivan Toney seemingly emerging as the strongest possibilities.
However, Slavia Prague have this week confirmed West Ham have begun discussions to sign in-demand forward Abdallah Sima.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Slavia Prague manager Jindrich Trpisovsky revealed to the club’s official Twitter account about the Irons’ interest.
Twitter:
Jindřich Trpišovský po #slakar: „O Abdallaha Simu je zájem. Je tam stanovená nějaká cena, za kterou by mohl odejí… https://t.co/QkhJ4dKnUV (@slaviaofficial)
‘There is interest in Abdallah Sima. There’s a set price at which he could leave. We’re currently focusing on him playing the rest of the season with us. We talked about it with the boys from West Ham, where they have him very high on the list of possible reinforcements.’
This season Sima has netted 19 goals and registered eight assists in 37 appearances across all competitions – including a record of 11 strikes in 20 Fortuna Liga games.
The Hammers could face a major stumbling block in the way of a price tag, with Prague seemingly demanding around £50million for the 19-year-old – a worry when Moyes ruled out a £40million move for Abraham.
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Signing Sima would certainly be a bold statement from the Irons given the levels of interest in the teenager.
Despite the lofty mooted price tag, at just 19 and having already made a senior international debut for Senegal, the £9.9million valued ace looks to have a prosperous future.
Sima may well need an adaptation period to life in the Premier League, perhaps leading to the conclusion one striker signing may not be sufficient.
