West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan is set to lead negotiations over a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Sebastien Haller, according to Football.London.
The online football outlet claim that Sullivan will be taking over talks while Hammers’ director of football Mario Husillos takes part in the club’s pre-season trip to China.
Football.London report that Sullivan will take charge of any potential deal alongside any mediators he has decided to bring in to complete a move.
West Ham are set to compete in the Premier League Asia Trophy this week, with Javier Hernandez the only out-and-out striker that has made the trip for Manuel Pellegrini.
Haller was reported by the Daily Mail recently to be closing in on a move to the London Stadium, with certain aspects of a move set to be ironed out by Sullivan.
OPINION
It seems bizarre that Husillos has decided to make the trip to China with the West Ham squad. A week after Sky Sports reported the Hammers had missed out on a deal for new Valencia striker Maxi Gomez, you would have expected the Argentinian to be in London working as hard as possible to secure Haller. This could mean that Husillos is confident a deal is in place to sign the 25-year-old, but fans will be nervous after what happened with the Gomez deal. We think Haller would make a good addition for the Hammers. The 25-year-old suits the lone striker role well and can score and provide goals at all times – being involved in 24 goals from 29 appearances in the Bundesliga last season. The 6ft 3in forward [Transfermarkt] would offer a much bigger physical threat upfront than Marko Arnautovic did last season, with Haller averaging six more successful aerial duels per game (6.9) [WhoScored], something that could really help West Ham’s flair players get on the ball in more dangerous areas next season. Husillos or Sullivan, it is essential that the Hammers complete this deal, one way or another.
