West Ham are plotting a January swoop for Southend United teenage sensation Charlie Kelman, according to Football Insider.
The news outlet report that the Hammers were in attendance on Saturday as the 17-year-old striker scored a sensational debut goal from the halfway line in a 3-2 loss to Plymouth at the weekend.
Football Insider claim that the Irons see Kelman as a future star and are set to table a bid this month, with Southend unlikely to be able to resist a significant bid for their prize asset.
Kelman scored an incredible 61 goals in all competitions last season for the League One club’s youth teams.
OPINION
Kelman certainly managed to make a name for himself around the country when he scored from halfway on his first-team debut at the weekend, with footage of his effort making its way on to every major social media platform. Unfortunately for Southend his incredible debut now means that there will be many teams chasing their young asset, with the Hammers and Southampton already in the hunt. You would think that West Ham would be able to barge their way to the front of the queue with a decent offer for Kelman, who the club see as a player with vast potential. As mentioned in the report, Southend would be unable to reject any kind of significant money for their star youngster, despite the fact that they will want to keep hold of him. Lower league clubs have to be realistic when it comes to holding on to future stars, who can offer them financial stability with the income they can bring in.
