West Ham United are reportedly planning to make a move to sign Brighton and Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson, as per Football Insider.
After dismissing David Moyes ahead of this season, the Hammers decided to appoint Julen Lopetegui to succeed the Scotsman. However, following a disappointing first half of this season, they opted to part ways with the Spaniard.
Graham Potter has been appointed as the new boss to replace Lopetegui but the former Chelsea boss has faced a big injury crisis at London Stadium.
Michail Antonio has been ruled out for several weeks following a serious car accident, while Jarrod Bowen has broken his foot so he is set to remain sidelined over the coming weeks.
New summer signing Niclas Fullkrug has had a difficult time at West Ham thus far and has now sustained a hamstring issue. So, Potter has been left with Danny Ings as the only centre-forward option. However, the former Liverpool man will turn 34 next year and his existing deal will expire at the end of this season.
Ferguson to West Ham
Now, Football Insider state that the Irons are planning to hire a new striker and have earmarked Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran as the primary target. They even submitted an opening £50m bid to sign him but Unai Emery’s side don’t want to lose their star man so they have turned down the offer.
Therefore, Potter’s side have made a shortlist of alternative options and have included Ferguson in it alongside Emmanuel Latte Lath and Yuri Alberto.
Ferguson burst onto the scene a few years ago after displaying impressive performances for the Seagulls. But, injury problems have hampered his development and has now been finding it difficult to break into new manager Fabian Hurzeler’s starting eleven this season, starting only twice in the Premier League.
However, the Irishman is still just 20 and has plenty of time on his side to turn his situation around. He is valued at around £34m by Transfermarkt and still has a contract until 2029 at the AMEX Stadium.
Therefore, Hurzeler’s side are in a strong position to demand a sizable amount of money to let him leave the club in this winter window.
