OPINION
The striking department at West Ham United is clearly going to be an area of focus for the club this summer, and Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is evidently a serious target for them.
The Daily Mirror reported last month that the Hammers were eyeing the Serbian after an impressive season with the struggling Cottagers.
However, the club’s chances of bringing the 24-year-old to the London Stadium took a hit on Friday, when Sky Sports reported that their Premier League rivals Everton are very interested in signing Mitrovic themselves this summer. That will be enough to have the West Ham faithful biting their nails.
The player himself is said to want to remain in the Premier League, but Fulham don’t want to sell him. This, then, could turn into a bidding war between the two top flight veterans.
If that happens, West Ham could be in trouble. Claret & Hugh reported in April that Manuel Pellegrini will get an initial £30million to spend this summer. If that’s the case, then it’s going to be unlikely that the Hammers will be able to beat Everton to Mitrovic’s signature.
The Toffees have spent plenty of money in recent years, as have West Ham of course, and you’d fancy them to beat any Premier League team outside the top six in a transfer battle.
Marco Silva will likely be able to offer more than £30million for Mitrovic, which makes it rather unlikely that the former Newcastle United man will end up in east London.
Pellegrini will need to get in some striking help this summer with Andy Carroll out of contract and uncertainty raging over Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez. However, it now doesn’t appear as if Mitrovic will be the man for them this transfer window.
