West Ham: £40m price-tag for striker; Manchester United want midfielder; Cresswell replacements

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The Hammers have been handed a boost in their striker search as Lyon have revealed their price tag for Alexandre Lacazette, claim the Mirror. West Ham have already had a £32 million bid rejected by the French club, who have been reluctant to let him go. Now that Arsenal have also made a £29 million bid, they are believed to have stated that they will consider offers, but only if they exceed £40 million in value.

Whilst that is a sizeable fee for a Europa League club like West Ham, he would tick all of the boxes that the Hammers have been trying to fill in order to satisfy Slaven Bilic’s request for a star striker to fire them to success, after no West Ham player reached double figures for goals last season.

Lacazette has that star factor and has been prolific in France, but he may well favour a move to the Emirates should Arsene Wenger and co. stump up the cash to make a worthwhile bid for Lyon.

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More concerningly, there is speculation in France Football that Manchester United maintain an interest in star man Dimitri Payet, and he could be the man to fill a Paul Pogba-sized gap should the deal fall apart. They also claim that the Red Devils may maintain an interest in the Frenchman regardless of their attempts to sign the Juventus star.

With a bid of £50.4 million rumoured, it is unlikely to match the club’s demands for their prized asset, but bosses and fans alike will be concerned that it may unsettle their free-kick king. Currently, Payet seems happy to stay, which would be a massive boost to their hopes for next season, but a bid from Jose Mourinho could change all that in the coming weeks before the transfer window slams shut.

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The hunt for a short term replacement for Aaron Cresswell is also still ongoing, with Morgan Fox and Jose Enrique the latest names linked. The Croydon Advertiser say that West Ham, alongside Crystal Palace and West Brom, are considering a move for 30-year-old free agent Enrique after he was released by Liverpool.

After only making a handful of appearances in recent years, there are doubts about Enrique’s fitness, but with a number of English clubs, and Malaga and Espanyol in Spain following him, he could be a cheap option to cover for the injured Cresswell. Enrique has the underlying quality, but will be forced to show that he can reproduce the form he showed in 2011 and 2012 to earn a move.

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Another, entirely different, option is said to be Charlton left back Morgan Fox in the Essex Chronicle. The Essex-based defender was considered as an alternative to Cresswell in 2014 when they signed their now injured star, and they may return to the 22-year-old Welshman who was previously linked with Manchester United.

Following Charlton’s relegation to League 1, Fox may be available on the cheap this summer, but there will be doubts about whether a player relegated from the Championship last season has the Premier League quality required to substitute for Cresswell, who has been one of the Irons’ most impressive performers in the past two seasons.

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