West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is pursuing a move for Celtic striker Moussa Dembele, according to the Sun. The Frenchman only joined the Scottish champions on a free transfer from Fulham in the summer but is now valued at £20million by the Hoops.
The steep asking price could prove to be a big stumbling block in any move for a player who has scored 19 goals already this season. It seems as though the Hammers will only make an attempt to sign Dembele if they fail in their bid for Sunderland forward Jermain Defoe.
The Sun say that West Ham have offered £5m for the 34 year old and will offer an additional £2million if their initial bid is rejected by the Black Cats.
With Sunderland boss David Moyes is said to be extremely reluctant to allow Defoe to leave which could force Bilic into moving onto other targets. If the asking price for Defoe and Dembele proves too big, the Hammers boss may turn his attentions to either Burnley striker Andre Gray or Scott Hogan of Brentford.
Brentford are said to have already received an £8m bid from Watford for their forward. The Guardian reports that the Bees are holding out for £12million.
