Europa Conference League winners West Ham United have been made to sit and wait over whether or not David Moyes has finally secured reinforcements in the forward line after the Hammers close in on having their bid accepted for Montpellier starlet Elye Wahi.
Per reports from French outlet RMC Sport, “Elye Wahi is not in the group for the match between Montpellier and Olympique Lyonnais this Saturday in Ligue 1. The Hérault club is on the way to reaching an agreement with two clubs: West Ham and Lens. It’s up to the player to decide.”
🚨 INFO RMC SPORT : Elye Wahi n’est pas dans le groupe pour le match entre Montpellier et l’OL ce samedi en Ligue 1. Le club héraultais est en passe de trouver un accord avec deux clubs : West Ham et Lens. Au joueur de décider.https://t.co/p5fIZ7FF1n pic.twitter.com/AZDaYrCNVg
— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) August 18, 2023
The 20-year-old France U21 striker is coming off an excellent 2022-23 campaign in Occitania at Stade de la Mosson, hitting a stellar 19 goals in 33 Ligue 1 appearances, which has seen him pop up on radar screens this summer both in England and on the continent.
Previously linked with serious interest from Chelsea while being nominally linked with rivals Arsenal, Wahi has been primed for a summer move in the wake of his rapid development last season, and the needs of both West Ham and Lens are now dictating a move to either the London Stadium or Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
For West Ham, the need to secure a long-term option at center-forward is a real one, on account of both Michail Antonio and Danny Ings both being on the wrong side of thirty and previous interest in Folarin Balogun now off the table after Arsenal is seeking £50m for the United States international.
As for RC Lens, star striker and Belgian international Loïs Openda departed the northeast of France and jumped to Saxony with RB Leipzig after his own personal best campaign which saw him smash 21 league goals last season while helping Lens finish second in the table and return to the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years. As such, Wahi would fit the bill to replace the 24-year-old without a need to adjust to life in country.
West Ham will fancy their chances as well after the player reportedly held positive talks with the Hammers, but the appeal of Champions League football with Lens, while remaining in France to develop further, could certainly be a very viable pathway for the youngster.
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