West Ham ask to be kept informed on ‘ruthless’ £40m international striker

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West Ham United are yet to get their first signing of the summer on board, with just over a week before the season starts.

The Hammers ended last season on a high, winning the Europa Conference League and surviving in the Premier League.

However, elation is slowly turning to despair for West Ham fans, who have lost their talisman and haven’t brought anyone in.

In addition, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio are being linked with a move away, so David Moyes could have to replace them too.

Now, according to talkSPORT, West Ham have set their sights on one of the most exciting young strikers in the world.

The Hammers are apparently among a number of Premier League sides who have asked to be kept informed on Folarin Balogun’s situation.

Balogun is on the books at Arsenal, but Mikel Arteta is apparently open to selling him.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a dream loan stint at French outfit Reims last term. He registered 21 goals and three assists in 37 Ligue 1 outings.

Some reports have suggested that the Gunners value Balogun at £40million, while others have his value as £50million.

Our view

West Ham have a solid team. After all, you don’t win a major international trophy if your squad isn’t up to scratch.

However, the Hammers are definitely weaker after losing Declan Rice, and they could also do with reinforcements up front.

With that in mind, Balogun would be a great shout for West Ham. He’s young, extremely talented and has a high ceiling.

Goal.com had him in their top 10 signings of 2022-23. Reims certainly struck gold when they signed him on loan.

‘Balogun has been a menace for defences across France with his speed and intelligence in making runs in behind. And he is ruthless in front of goal,’ they wrote.

‘It remains to be seen whether he will get an opportunity under Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium. But he will have plenty of other options if Arsenal decide against bringing him back.’

However, his price tag is certainly high. That said, after his efforts in France, not to mention his contract until 2025, Arsenal have a lot of leverage.