West Ham talks confirmed for Prague ace but crazy price a stumbling block
Slavia Prague have confirmed West Ham have opened talks to sign in-demand forward Abdallah Sima but his price tag could be a major issue.
Sima, 19, is currently in his first season with the Czech Republic side and has been turning heads with his displays. The talented youngster has made 16 starts among 20 appearances, scoring 11 goals and assisting five. It is a record that has made a number of clubs sit up and take note.
In addition to the Hammers, Leeds United and Manchester United have been credited with an interest in the Senegal international. But it appears as though he will not come cheap.
Dubbed the ‘new Thierry Henry’, Sima is said to be valued at around £50m, according to The Evening Standard. The Red and Whites have reportedly already rejected an offer of £25m from an unnamed club.
It remains to be seen if they do get the asking price but that would appear out of the Hammers’ price range. That is maybe the reason why they have entered negotiations at an early stage.
And Prague manager Jindrich Trpisovsky revealed to the club’s official Twitter account about West Ham’s inquiry.
“There is interest in Abdallah Sima,” he said. “There’s a set price at which he could leave. We’re currently focusing on him playing the rest of the season with us.
“We talked about it with the boys from West Ham, where they have him very high on the list of possible reinforcements.”
Sima one of many Moyes’ options
David Moyes has made no secret of his desire to recruit a new striker this summer. A number of names have been mentioned and it looks set to be a busy summer for the Scot.
Jesse Lingard’s arrival on loan helped the East End outfit’s top-four challenge. But they have faltered right at the death and must now fight for a Europa League berth.
It has still been an excellent campaign for the capital club and they will want to build on that in 2021-2022. Sima looks an exciting prospect although he is not an out-and-out striker.
However, the African clearly has an eye for goal and would give the manager options. Other interested clubs include Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus but reports suggest he favours a switch to England.
That gives West Ham hope but they will need to work on his price otherwise it looks a non-starter.
READ MORE: West Ham readying bid after leaving Tottenham in dust for top Prem transfer
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