West Ham set their stall out in their hunt for a new striker when they allegedly offered a whopping £57m for Jhon Duran.
Unhappy with the way Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui spent £155m of West Ham’s money the summer, majority owner David Sullivan reassumed ultimate control of signings ahead of the January transfer window.
Many Hammers fans and cynics believe that has showed too.
There has been upheaval with the departure of both Lopetegui and now Steidten.
Graham Potter has come in with new ideas and – obviously – new transfer targets.
He has been joined at West Ham by Kyle Macauley, now confirmed as the club’s new head of recruitment.
West Ham knew they needed a new striker in January long before the window opened.
That was before injuries to Michail Antonio, Niclas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen.
So fans are understandably frustrated that a new forward is yet to arrive with six days left until the window closes.
West Ham showed their hand with £57m Duran bid
West Ham released a tantalising transfer statement overnight insisting a number of deals are possible.
One deal West Ham won’t be pulling off is the signing of Jhon Duran.
The Hammers reignited interest in Duran with a £40m offer to Aston Villa at the start of the window.
The bid was rejected out of hand and West Ham supporters criticised the club’s owners for the low-ball offer having refused to meet Villa’s asking price in the summer.
West Ham were not done there, though, as Athletic journalist David Ornstein revealed West Ham made a new £57m bid for Duran.
That was also rejected with West Ham’s owners insisting it was time to ‘accept defeat and move on’ from Duran.
There have been underwhelming links to the likes of Andre Silva, Brian Brobbey and injury-prone Evan Ferguson since.
But now Hammers fans will be left scratching their heads.
They will be asking what are West Ham thinking as a £43m deal is agreed for longstanding target Victor Boniface.
Last year it was reported West Ham were lining up a £50m for Nigerian striker Boniface.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward shone against West Ham in the Europa League, impressing Hammers fans.
What are West Ham thinking as £43m Boniface deal agreed
He possesses all the attributes the Irons are missing up front. And at 24, he is still a great age.
Sullivan made a rod for his own back with those bids for Duran.
Because West Ham clearly have the money to spend on the right player and deal.
Given that fact and their longstanding interest in Boniface, it must be asked what West Ham are waiting for as Leverkusen accept a bid for £17m less than Sullivan was willing to pay for Duran.
When West Ham moved on from Duran, the Colombian was linked with moves to PSG and Saudi side Al Nassr.
Villa quoted them £80m.
Now Al Nassr have moved for Boniface instead – and their £43m offer has been accepted.
A host of sources including Bulinews and Fabrizio Romano are reporting that Al Nassr have started official talks to sign the Nigerian, in a bid to beat competition from Premier League clubs to the 24-year-old.
Boniface has scored 29 goals in 49 appearances for Leverkusen.
And a deal is said to be in the offing for 50m Euros (£43m).
West Ham should be all over this if they really have the kind of money they offered for Duran.
Boniface has his best years ahead of him and has previously made it clear he wants to play in the Premier League.
Leverkusen have already set their valuation by accepting a £43m offer.
That’s a potential bargain for a top level forward. Especially given how much cheaper he is than Duran.
The deal with Al Nassr is not done yet.
So the big question is – what is Sullivan waiting for?
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