West Ham should target Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud amid £3m price-tag reports

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It would be absolutely no surprise if West Ham United’s priority during the January transfer window was to sign a new striker.

Sebastien Haller has been excellent since joining the Hammers. But Albian Ajeti is the only other senior option available to Manuel Pellegrini. And his start to life with the Irons has not been quite as seamless.

Of course, January is a difficult time to make significant moves. So West Ham need to keep their eye out for potential bargains.

And perhaps a report from The Sun this week should catch Pellegrini’s attention. They have claimed that Crystal Palace want Olivier Giroud if he is given the chance to leave Chelsea in January.

The report notes that Frank Lampard is reluctant to let Giroud go. But with his £100,000-a-week contract expiring in the summer, a January sale is not being ruled out.

And remarkably, The Sun has suggested that Chelsea could let him go for just £3 million if he does go in January.

He has not been a major success at Stamford Bridge. And he would not be a long-term answer for West Ham. But the 33-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic Premier League career, scoring 78 league goals since coming to England.

The gamble attached with targeting a striker on a £100,000-a-week contract is almost completely balanced out by Chelsea reportedly wanting £3 million.

If he can contribute a handful of goals during the second-half of the campaign, he would be worth the outlay.

That would take some pressure off Haller. And it would also allow Pellegrini to keep most of his transfer kitty to focus on other targets and other areas of the squad.

He has shown that he is a very good player to bring off the bench. But he is also more than capable of leading the line should anything happen to Haller.

It may not be a move that captures the imagination amongst the fans. But that should not stop West Ham capitalising if Chelsea do decide to let Giroud go for just £3 million.