West Ham are in the race to sign 22-year old French striker Floriane Aye from Ligue 2 club Clermont Foot this summer, according to Turkish News outlet Haberturk.
The football outlet claim that the Hammers are in the race alongside a number of clubs, including Leeds United and Southampton.
The forward was involved in 21 goals in the French second division this season, scoring 17 goals and registering four league assists, and seems to have attracted lots of attention from different clubs ahead of the summer transfer window.
The France U20’s international is in contract with his current club until 2021, but could be prised away from the Ligue 2 club for an agreed fee in the summer.
OPINION
This one could be very risky. Although there is no doubting that Aye is a goalscorer, and has had an impressive season in the French second division, the step up to the Premier League may prove to be too much for the forward. The 22-year old will also have a lot of adapting to do if he were to make the switch to England, and maybe wouldn’t fit in straight away with life at the London Stadium. It’s definitely possible that the Hammers could be showing interest in the forward, but the they would be better off moving for someone with more experience in a European top flight. The board at West Ham will more than likely aim to stay away from players like this, unless they are very young, and could be nurtured through the youth system over a number of years before making the step up to the first team. It seems unlikely that Manuel Pellegrini would look as far as the French second league to bring in a new striker, when there are lots of other options which would be a much safer bet.
