West Ham United have made an offer worth around £8million for highly-rated Norway Under-21 winger Edvin Austbø.
Viking have rejected the bid, however, as Nuno Espírito Santo continues to strengthen his attacking options ahead of the Championship season.
The Hammers completed the signing of Manor Solomon from Tottenham on Monday but appear determined to add further competition out wide.
Austbø, 21, is regarded as one of Norwegian football’s brightest young attacking players and has attracted considerable interest from across Europe.
West Ham make Edvin Austbø transfer bid
TV 2 journalist Eirik Nesset Hjelvik reports that West Ham submitted an offer of around 100million Norwegian kroner for Austbø over the weekend, equivalent to approximately £7.8million.
Viking immediately rejected the proposal. The Norwegian club want to retain Austbø for their upcoming Champions League qualifiers and there have been no further talks since West Ham’s opening offer.
West Ham are not alone in monitoring the winger. Lille have previously shown interest, while clubs in Belgium and the Netherlands are also understood to be following his situation.
Viking’s reluctance to sell is not particularly surprising.
The Norwegian champions rejected several substantial offers for Austbø earlier this year, including a proposal from Lille worth 140million kroner guaranteed and more than 170million kroner if all potential bonuses were triggered.
That suggests West Ham may need to increase their opening offer significantly if they want negotiations to progress.
Austbø primarily operates from the left wing and was named the Eliteserien’s young player of the year following Viking’s title-winning 2025 campaign. He has continued to feature prominently this season while also representing Norway at Under-21 level.
The move also offers another indication of the type of attacking squad Nuno is attempting to build.
ReadWestHam analysed Manor Solomon’s arrival on Monday, with the former Leeds winger providing proven Championship quality following the departure of Crysencio Summerville.
Austbø would represent a younger option with significant development potential.
West Ham have now shown they are serious enough to make an offer. Whether they return with an improved proposal could depend on how firmly Viking maintain their stance during their European campaign.
