West Ham will need to pay £40million to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Sebastien Haller, according to the Evening Standard.
The newspaper claimed on their website that the Hammers are still in talks over a deal for the Frenchman, with Manuel Pellegrini needing to pay the valuation in order to complete a deal.
The Evening Standard reports that Pellegrini wants to sign at least one forward this summer, with Jordan Hugill expected to move away from the London Stadium.
Haller was reported by the Daily Mail to be closing in on a £36million deal, with that valuation now expected to be too low to persuade the German club.
OPINION
As Mario Husillos was spotted in China with the West Ham squad, the main negotiator at the Hammers could be hampered in his pursuit of Haller. After the saga that was Maxi Gomez, Pellegrini will be desperate to confirm a deal for the 6’3″ colossus as quickly as possible, with this news surely a step in the right direction. Now that West Ham know what they have to pay, all that is required is a bid of £40million – simple right? With at least one striker expected through the doors, the Hammers need to go all out to sign Haller. The powerful striker was involved in 24 goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances and is exactly what West Ham need right now, especially after losing Andy Carroll, Lucas Perez, and Marko Arnautovic – three of the club’s strongest forwards. Haller would bring that physicality back to East London, having won an average of 6.9 aerial duels last season. Compared to Hernandez, who only won 0.5 [WhoScored], Haller’s potential arrival could be the difference between another mid-table finish and European qualification after the Frenchman scored only two fewer goals than the Hammers top two scorers combined last season.