West Ham have had a £21m offer rejected for PSV and United States striker Ricardo Pepi, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The deal was reported to be a loan with an obligation-to-buy clause.
Pepi signed for PSV from Augsburg in the 2023 summer transfer window and has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season, which included a winner in PSV’s shock victory over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
The forward has also been a focal point for the US Mens National Team, racking up 13 goals in 33 caps.
In a loan with obligation to buy package worth around £21m for a man who’s second top goal scorer in the Eredevise, it is no shock that the league leaders have rejected the bid.
This will be another blow for the Hammers who have been unable to complete deals for strikers Jhon Duran and Brian Brobbey this transfer window.
Hammers in prime position to land Ferguson deal
It’s not all bad news for West Ham fans though, with the Hammers having a recent boost in the ongoing effort to sign Brighton striker Evan Ferguson on loan, thanks to the recent transfer activity of other teams.
In recent days, Bayer Leverkusen also became frontrunners to sign the Republic of Ireland international due to their frontman Victor Boniface being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia’s join Al-Nassr.
However, the Saudi side that also possesses the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo has instead opted to turn their attention to former West Ham target Jhon Duran, meaning Leverkusen look as though they can keep hold of their number nine.
In quite the domino effect, this means Leverkusen look as though they no longer are pursuing the signing of Ferguson, which is good news for West Ham as they are now in the driving seat to sign the Brighton man.
The Guardian have reported that should West Ham succeed in signing Ferguson on a loan deal, they could be able to sign the striker on a permanent deal for a fee of around £40m.
With Pepi having played 18 of PSV’s 20 league games this season, West Ham fans could argue this is a player worth pursuing as opposed to Ferguson, who has had a poor injury record in recent seasons.
However, it can also be argued that with Ferguson being younger than the American, as well as proving he can perform and score goals in the Premier League, he might be a better fit for Graham Potter’s team.
With time ticking for the Hammers to bring in a striker, they will be optimistic that the 20-year-old will put pen to paper before the end of the transfer window.