According to The Sun, English Championship outfit Bournemouth have been told Newcastle United would be willing to part with £15 million for the services of Norwegian striker Josh King this month.
The 28-year-old is also on the radar of West Ham United as they look to replace the Ajax-bound Sebastien Haller, but they aren’t ready to meet the Cherries’ demands.
West Bromwich Albion also want King, and theirs and Newcastle’s interest have driven the striker’s value up.
Baggies manager Sam Allardyce needs a striker that can fire his side to safety, while his Magpies counterpart Steve Bruce wants to boost his attacking options given his side’s struggles in front of goal so far this term.
West Ham manager David Moyes wanted the Bournemouth star in the summer, but the £13 million deal the Hammers were willing to come up with was knocked back.
They still aren’t looking to increase their bid, but they could now be forced to with both Newcastle and West Brom waiting to pounce.
King has just six months left on his current contract, but that isn’t forcing Bournemouth to drive his price down.
The EPL trio keen on him aren’t prepared to wait till he becomes a free agent before making a move as landing him can help boost their fortunes on the pitch during the second half of 2020-21.
The attacker is without a goal in eight Championship appearances so far this term, but he grabbed 42 goals in five seasons in the top-flight and is expected to deliver the goods if snapped up this month.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was interested in bringing King back to Old Trafford last January before landing Odion Ighalo, and that speaks volumes as far as his quality goes.
West Ham and West Brom can’t afford to continue the season without signing a striker this month, and landing King could do their campaigns some good.
