West Ham have emerged as the latest club to be linked with a move for Boulaye Dia, who is also courted by Arsenal and Manchester United.
According to Todo Fichajes, West Ham United have stepped up their efforts to sign Boulaye Dia in this ongoing January transfer window. They are, in fact, in advanced negotiations with the Reims forward, with coach David Moyes keen on adding more attacking options to his armoury.
Dia’s proposed move to West Ham could be imminent, with the striker set to cost around €16 million. It doesn’t bode well for Manchester United or Arsenal, who have been linked him this month.
The overall hype surrounding the arrival of Dia to West Ham is hardly surprising given the fact that he has been one of Ligue 1’s rising stars this season. The 24-year-old has netted 12 goals in just 17 appearances, which amounts to a goal every 114 minutes – making him quite an exciting replacement for Sebastien Haller, who left Ajax earlier this month.
Dia himself will be happy with a move to West Ham, rather than other interested parties like Arsenal, who had reportedly entered the race last month. The Hammers, following the departure of Haller, will be able to provide the Senegalese international with regular game-time, unlike the Gunners who already have three strikers in Eddie Nketiah, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
⚽️ Only Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mo Salah have scored more goals in Europe's top five leagues this season than Boulaye Dia (12)
?️ The 24-year-old Reims striker has reportedly been identified by West Ham as their replacement for Sebastien Haller #WHUFC pic.twitter.com/q6XjHforyK
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) January 11, 2021
As for Manchester United, their interest in Dia was rather bizarre. Unlike Arsenal, the Red Devils haven’t had many problems in terms of productivity and have two quality forwards in Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani while Marcus Rashford can operate in that number nine role if necessary.
Nevertheless, both these teams are unlikely to be fazed by their pursuit of the Reims attacker, with Arsenal, in particular, now shifting their attention towards a number ten in light of Lacazette’s fiery form in front of goal. The Gunners have been recently linked with a move for Julian Draxler, whose contract at PSG expires at the end of the campaign.
West Ham, meanwhile, were interestingly eyeing a move for Arsenal’s very own Eddie Nketiah, as a potential alternative for Dia. But with the Hammers likely to have achieved in their pursuit of the 24-year-old, they could now turn their attentions elsewhere in this ongoing January transfer window.
