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Armando Broja has become a target for West Ham United, but they are only prepared to offer under half of what Chelsea could be asking for, according to reports.

Broja is currently enjoying a fine first season as a Premier League regular. He joined Southampton on loan from Chelsea in the summer and has thrived ever since. So far, the Albania international has scored nine goals from 27 games for Saints.

It means he has outscored Chelsea’s record signing Romelu Lukaku in domestic action. The Belgian only has a better record than Broja this season thanks to his involvement in European and international competitions.

Hopes are high for Broja at Chelsea, even if that just means in terms of cashing in on him. A number of clubs are already queuing up in case they sanction a permanent sale.

TEAMtalk revealed in January that Leeds, Everton and Wolves have joined the race for Armando Broja. We also understand that Southampton would want to keep him.

However, the final decision will be up to Chelsea – who now have another interested party to listen to.

According to Diario Sport, West Ham have entered the scene to sign Armando Broja. The Hammers have been looking for a new centre-forward ever since Sebastien Haller was sold in January 2021.

Michail Antonio is the main man, but cannot carry the workload all alone. Therefore, they may finally take their chance to sign a striker in the summer.

With that in mind, they have identified Slough-born Broja as a potential target. In fact, they would be willing to offer £25m for his signature.

Such a move would offer Broja the chance to continue his career in London, where he could also attract interest from Arsenal. In addition, Sport insist Chelsea could reintegrate the 20-year-old.

But previous reports have suggested selling Broja would be a chance to balance the books after high-spending summers in 2020 and 2021. Therefore, he may be on his way out still.

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Chelsea eye huge Armando Broja windfall

If his destination is to be West Ham, though, they would seemingly need to up their opening offer. A recent report from Tuttomercatoweb suggested Chelsea are holding out for a fee closer to £58m.

It would be an extraordinary sum for such a young player. However, Chelsea feel he is worth it – and their valuation of him is higher than what Lukaku’s has dropped to.

Given he is an academy product, anything Chelsea make on Broja is profit. In contrast, with Lukaku, they could record a significant loss on the books.

Therefore, there may be more incentive to sell Broja if Lukaku can recover his form as Chelsea’s centre-forward.

But with a contract running until 2026, Broja’s future remains very much under Chelsea’s control.

READ MORE: Barcelona wreaking havoc with two Chelsea deals close; Arsenal, Tottenham target to follow

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