According to Sky Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, West Ham could make a move for Fiorentina front man Khouma Babacar if they fail to land AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca.
At just 23-years-old, Babacar is a striker with a lot of potential. He impressed in a loan spell at Serie B side Modena in the 2013-14 season, scoring an impressive 20 goals in 41 appearances. For Fiorentina, he scored 7 goals in 20 league games in 2014-15. Despite playing just eight Serie A games last season, Babacar still managed to score four goals as Fiorentina opted for Croatia’s Nikola Kalinic as their main striker.
The Hammers are looking to identify top talent all over Europe and Babacar is certainly showing signs that he could become a top front man in the near future. His powerful hold up play alongside good dribbling attributes means he has the talent to punish defences.
Although Di Marzio has claimed that the striker would be more of a back up option, the Hammers are looking to add more than one forward to the squad this summer, especially if the likes of Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia leave.
Transfermarkt.com rate Babacar at £6.8 million but it is expected that the Italian side would demand more considering the young Senegalese’s potential.
The picture surrounding West Ham’s chase for new strikers will become a lot clearer next week as Bacca’s representatives are expected in London for talks with the Hammers over a permanent transfer. Slaven Bilic is also interested in another Fiorentina forward in Mario Gomez and an offer could be made for the German international.
