West Ham United are set to make an opening bid for Elye Wahi in the near future, and a new report has detailed how much they may have to pay for the Montpellier striker.
Who is Elye Wahi signing for this summer?
Get French Football News have recently revealed that Wahi is one of the most sought-after players in Ligue 1 this summer, with Chelsea recently making an opening offer worth €28m (£24m), which was subsequently knocked back by Montpellier.
The Blues are yet to return with another bid for the forward, and they now risk losing out to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are namechecked as potential suitors, with Portuguese side Benfica also said to be interested.
West Ham have also turned their attentions to the 20-year-old, having found out that Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun would prefer to move abroad, and they have already entered talks to determine his willingness to join, ahead of making a concrete move.
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According to a more recent report from L'Equipe, the Hammers are now "concretely positioned" to make an approach for the Montpellier star, and they are expected to submit their opening offer soon.
The report details that Eintracht Frankfurt have already made a bid of €33m (£28m) for the youngster, which was still not enough to tempt his current club into a sale, despite being a £4m increase on Chelsea's previous bid.
The Blues have been to accelerate talks with the Frenchman, meaning West Ham could be in a good position to hijack the deal, if they are willing to stump up a sizeable transfer fee of around £30m.
How many goals has Elye Wahi scored?
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig lauded the starlet as "incredible" as a result of his performances for Montpellier last term, and that praise was very well-earned, given his fantastic record in front of goal in Ligue 1.
The Courcouronnes-born attacker scored 19 goals in 33 league games, during which time he also amassed six assists, almost doubling his goal tally from the prior season, in which he found the back of the net ten times in the French top flight.
There are still aspects of Wahi's game that need to be improved, as outlined by Montpellier manager Michel de Zakarian:
"He needs to run a lot more, always be moving and be in a position to repeat the efforts. He’s a sprinter, he goes really quickly, but sometimes he’s knackered after 45 minutes. He needs to work a bit better, that’s training every day. If he wants to play in a big club and play with great players, he needs to work hard.
"He can go very far, at a very, very good level. Scoring goals like he does, you need to put them in the back of the net. What he does is good for his age, but I think he can do even better."
However, David Moyes has parted ways with Gianluca Scamacca this summer, and bringing in a young striker with a high ceiling could be a wise move, given that both of his current options, Danny Ings and Michail Antonio, are now in the latter stages of their careers.