West Ham United outbid Bayern Munich to secure the signing of forward Sebastien Haller this summer, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claimed on their website that the Champions League giants scouted the Frenchman as a potential back-up to prolific Polish international Robert Lewandowski.
The Daily Mail report that the Hammers offered a fee that Munich refused to match, despite the 25-year-old being on their list of targets.
After being involved in 24 goals in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt last season, West Ham completed a club-record deal for Haller, who has started the season where he left off, scoring three goals in as many games
OPINION
Bayern Munich’s reported interest only highlights how highly Haller was rated in the summer, and how well West Ham did to secure his signature in the process. The Frenchman is surely already on his way to justifying his club-record fee after only three appearances, with his physicality just too much for opposing defences to handle already. The 25-year-old came with a big reputation after being involved in 24 goals, and Manuel Pellegrini will be delighted with the impact he has made. It isn’t all about scoring goals as a lone striker, and Haller has delivered the ability to hold up the ball and bring his teammates into play in dangerous areas – something Marko Arnautovic couldn’t do before. Haller has won 5.7 aerial duels per game this season according to WhoScored and has also averaged three shots on goal in each outing, the best in his career so far. If Haller continues this form, Munich could surely start to regret their decision not to match West Ham’s offer, who will be delighted with their star man.
