Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are set to face defeat in their pursuit of Amiens striker Serhou Guirassy, who is inching close to a move to West Ham United.
According to a report from French publication Le10Sport, as relayed by The Sun, Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Tottenham are set to be beaten in the race for Amiens forward Serhou Guirassy. The 24-year old goalscorer is reportedly closing in on a £15 million transfer to West Ham United.
Guirassy is a product of the Stade Laval academy. The centre-forward joined Lille in 2015, but failed to make the grade at the club. A year later, he was signed by German outfit FC Koln, where he spent two-and-a-half years, managing just nine goals in 45 matches.
Guirassy joined Amiens on loan in January 2019 and was snapped up on a permanent transfer by the Ligue 1 outfit last summer. The 24-year-old had a decent 2019-20 season with the club, managing nine goals and a solitary assist in 23 league matches, despite his team struggling. Following this, both Chelsea and Tottenham had taken an interest in the striker.
It is no secret that Chelsea are lacking a quality backup for Tammy Abraham, who has excelled in his first full season with the Blues’ senior team. Even though his form dwindled since the turn of the year, the Englishman has shown enough quality.
However, neither of Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi have been able to impress manager Frank Lampard. With either one of the two or both the strikers likely to be offloaded before the next season, the Blues are in desperate need of a new striker to add to their ranks, which made Guirassy a viable target for the West Londoners.
Tottenham, too, are in the same boat as Chelsea when it comes to lack of a proper cover for their ace striker. Harry Kane has been performing brilliantly year after year, but his injury in January exposed the lack of depth in Spurs’ centre-forward department.
The Lilywhites allowed both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen to leave last summer without bringing in a replacement, which came back to bite them. So, manager Jose Mourinho is keen on avoiding a similar situation next season by bringing in an able backup to support and cover for Kane when needed, leading to their interest in Guirassy.
However, both Chelsea and Tottenham are now set to face defeat in the race for the 24-year-old with fellow Londoners West Ham stealing a march over them. The Hammers had tried to land Guirassy in the January transfer window as well, and according to the report, are now in pole position to sign the Amiens forward in a £15 million deal.
Guirassy may not be a world-beater, but would have been a decent backup option for both Chelsea and Tottenham. They will now need to look elsewhere as they look to bolster their attacking department before the upcoming season.