Nice centre-forward Alasanne Plea is ready to jet into London to hold personal terms with West Ham this week, according to the Sun.
The newspaper claim the Hammers are working on a deal to land the Frenchman, 25, as they aim to beat Fulham to his signature.
The Sun report that West Ham are Hammers are “likely to match any offer agreed” with their London rivals and Plea is “waiting on word about flying into London” for negotiations with both clubs in the coming days.
OPINION
The race to land the striker who lit up Ligue 1 last season is getting as searingly hot as the dazzling London temperatures. Tottenham were the favourites to get Plea last week, but West Ham are now working on a deal that would provide them with a goalscorer entering his peak years, something that could not be said of their current late-20s trio Marko Arnautovic, Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez. Not that West Ham have had great success in signing strikers during the era of the two Davids. Arnautovic eventually went on to make a huge impact last season, but Carroll, Hernandez, Simone Zaza, Andre Ayew and company have generally flattered to deceive. Plea was prolific for Nice last season, with 21 goals from 49 appearances in all competitions, forming a potent alliance with Mario Balotelli, who scored four times more. Premier League club think the French league is ripe for plucking this summer. Expect Plea to move to a London club, and that one could well be West Ham.
