West Ham reportedly made ‘serious efforts’ in their attempts to sign Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri in January.
The 24-year-old Moroccan was firmly installed as the favourite to replace Sebastien Haller at the London Stadium following a mid-season switch to Ajax.
However, the Hammers ultimately missed out on the free-scoring ace and continued in their striker search throughout the recently closed summer transfer window.
That search also proved fruitless as David Moyes failed to add support for Michail Antonio.
Now according to a report from La Colina de Nervion, as cited by Sport Witness on Twitter, West Ham could face competition from London rivals Arsenal for En-Nesyri’s signature.
Twitter: Youssef En-Nesyri | Arsenal plan ‘ideal’ signing to take them forward – Gunners already have transfer plans.
https://t.co/kfd5vlpTSb #afc (@Sport_Witness)
The report claims that the Gunners view the 35-cap star as the ‘ideal’ replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
West Ham are believed to maintain their interest in En-Nesyri, who scored 18 La Liga goals last season.
This term has started in a similar vein for the ace hailed as ‘very strong’ by teammate Diego Carlos, scoring twice and adding one assist in the opening three league outings.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Valued at £36million and under contract in Seville until 2025 (Transfermarkt), signing En-Nesyri would be an expensive outlay for either London club.
Bizarrely, the Hammers are in a far better place to stake a claim for the Moroccan than Arsenal.
With ongoing Europa League football on offer, as well as a far loftier Premier League position, West Ham could win any ensuing transfer battle over their north London adversaries.
If ever a battle was worthy of winning, it’s this one. En-Nesyri possesses an abundance of attacking attributes that would see the star face every opportunity of successfully making the transition to English football.
