West Ham’s interest in striker Michy Batshuayi has been denied by a senior club insider according to the reliable Claret & Hugh.
Reports over the weekend claimed that the Hammers were leading the race for the Chelsea forward who is valued at £40m by the club.
However, Claret & Hugh reported today that the Irons simply didn’t have those sorts of funds to spend, dealing a blow to supporters who may have been keen to see the Belgian play at the London Stadium.
The report suggested that their insider told them that previous claims they were looking at Batshuayi were ‘completely stupid’.
After signing Sebastien Haller for a club-record £45m last summer it would appear that the transfer kitty is rather empty in east London. Hardly surprising, either, given the cuts and losses suffered during the deadly Coranavirus pandemic.
GIVE ME SPORT’S Matt Dawson says...
Signing a striker for such a large sum of money is always eye-catching but right now, West Ham would be right to swerve a move for Batshuayi.
The forward may have done well for Crystal Palace when on loan during 2018/19, scoring six in 13, but the fact of the matter is that West Ham need to spend their funds elsewhere, not on their attack.
Haller has done a satisfactory job since arriving from Hoffenheim, finding the net on seven occasions, while they also added Jarrod Bowen in the January window.
It’s in defence where the mishaps have occurred this term. Issa Diop has looked a shadow of his former self, making a ghastly individual error earlier in the season, whilst Angelo Ogbonna has hardly been convincing either, registering a WhoScored average rating of just 6.69.
Sitting 16th in the division, West Ham’s place in the top flight isn’t even safe next season, but if they do somehow survive, they’ll need to improve on the fourth-worst defensive record – 50 goals conceded – in the Premier League.
If they did have £40m to spend, which seems unlikely given the report above, it should be spent on their backline – not forward line.