According to Standard Sport, West Ham United are keeping tabs on the situation of Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah at the Emirates Stadium as they search for a replacement for Sebastien Haller.
The Ivory Coast international has joined Eredivisie giants Ajax after just 18 months at the London Stadium, and manager David Moyes is looking to sign another central forward before the end of the month to provide the injury-prone Michail Antonio with quality cover and competition.
Nketiah has 18 months left on his current deal at Arsenal, and he is yet to agree to terms of an extension.
West Ham have money to spend following Haller’s sales, with Moyes told that he can use the funds to strengthen his squad before the end of the January transfer window.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal are open to loaning out Nketiah to a direct rival, with both teams competing for the top-six spots, but they could be keen to cash in on the 21-year-old.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta wants to bolster his options in attacking midfield, and selling the England youth international will help provide much-needed cash to buy players.
Nketiah has featured in 20 games across all competitions for Arsenal this term, scoring five times and assisting once, and he could be a quality addition for West Ham’s attack.
While he would want more playing opportunities in order to boost his chances of breaking into manager Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad ahead of this summer’s European Championship, switching the North London giants for the Hammers might not particularly appeal to him.
West Ham aren’t a team that does plenty of attacking, and not many strikers can easily and quickly adapt to Moyes’ style of play.
They have had to battle relegation in the last four seasons, and swapping European football for such perennial strugglers doesn’t look appealing.
