West Ham, Fulham to hijack Chelsea move for 19-goal striker after Blues see €30m bid ‘refused’
West Ham and Fulham are reportedly interested in signing Montpellier striker Elye Wahi despite Chelsea ‘leading the race’ for his signature.
The 20-year-old scored an impressive 19 goals in Ligue 1 last season, along with making six assists and is only expected to improve as he gains experience.
Both West Ham and Fulham are keen to bring in a new striker before the transfer window slams shut and Wahi could be an excellent long-term option for both teams.
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Chelsea made a £21.4m ‘verbal offer’ to Montpellier for Wahi last week.
The French club rejected this offer, but reports suggest the Blues have now responded with an improved bid.
Nevertheless, West Ham and Fulham are still considering making their own offer for Wahi. Both clubs are in need of attacking reinforcements.
With Chelsea working hard on the deal, though, they will have to move quickly if they want to sign the young striker this summer.
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West Ham, Fulham want Wahi despite improved Chelsea bid
According to journalist Fabrice Hawkins, West Ham, Fulham, Eintracht Frankfurt, Chelsea and Paris-Saint Germain, all hold a concrete interest in signing Wahi.
Hawkins states that Chelsea are ‘the most advanced club’ in the race, and have seen a second offer of €30m (approx. £25.9m) rejected by Montpellier.
As a result, West Ham or Fulham would have to offer more than the Blues to have any chance of signing Wahi this summer.
The Hammers struggled to find the net last season, scoring just 42 goals in the Premier League.
Michail Antonio is past his prime and Gianluca Scamacca has just joined Atalanta for £30.5m, so they need to bring in a replacement for him.
David Moyes has plenty of transfer funds at his disposal after selling Declan Rice for £105m, too, so it will be interesting to see if West Ham make a concrete offer for Wahi.
Fulham, on the other hand, could lose their main striker and arguably best player in Aleksandar Mitrovic this summer.
The Serbia international came off the bench in the Cottagers’ 1-0 victory over Everton on Saturday but has been linked with a departure from Fulham for some time.
If Mitrovic is sold, Fulham may well look to bring in Wahi as a replacement for him. With that in mind, the Montpellier centre-forward is certainly a player to keep an eye on over the next couple of weeks.
