West Ham have entered the race to sign Norwich winger Emiliano Buendia, according to The Sunday Mirror (May 2nd, Page 72) via Hammers.News.

What's the latest news on Emiliano Buendia?

Buendia has been linked with Arsenal in recent months, as Mikel Arteta looks to bloster his attacking options this summer. 

It seems that West Ham are now set to battle with their London rivals for Buendia's signature in the coming weeks.

What are Buendia's stats this season?

The Argentine forward has been in sensational form in 2020/21, helping Norwich return to the Premier League as champions.

He is the highest-rated player in the Championship this season by WhoScored, earning an average match rating of 7.79. This is no surprise given his scarcely believable statistics.

The 24-year-old has scored 14 goals and delivered 16 assists for Daniel Farke's side, meaning that he has been directly involved in 30 goals for the Canaries. 

These numbers saw him named the Championship Player of the Season last week at the Football League Awards.

How much will it cost West Ham to sign Buendia?

Buendia's importance to Norwich means that the club won't let him go cheaply. 

It was recently reported that they value Buendia at £40m. Given that they have just been promoted and the attacker still has three years left on his contract, it seems that Norwich are in a strong negotiating position when it comes to discussing Buendia's future at the end of the season.

A suitable alternative to Jesse Lingard?

It has been claimed that West Ham will do everything they can to keep Jesse Lingard at the club beyond his current loan spell. The Manchester United man reportedly has a £30m price-tag.

However, if the Irons do fall short in their pursuit of extending Lingard's stay in east London, Buendia is a fine alternative.

Although he would be expected to cost the club an extra £10m compared to Lingard, he may well be worth it. Buendia has 18 more goal contributions to his name this term, albeit having played 27 more games than Lingard.

Still, this highlights that he has been able to maintain his form for an entire campaign, whereas there is an argument that Lingard may simply be experiencing a purple patch that could come to an end soon.

Buendia is also four years Lingard's junior, suggesting that he could wreak havoc in the top-flight for years to come. 

It is understandable that West Ham want to keep Lingard given his impact since moving to the capital, but if they cannot keep hold of him, Buendia is the ideal replacement.