West Ham United are reportedly inching towards trumping Everton and Newcastle United to the signing of Maxwel Cornet.
According to The Guardian, West Ham United are closing in on reaching an agreement with Championship club Burnley for Maxwel Cornet. The Ivory Coast international is also a target for Everton and Newcastle United
Maxwel Cornet joined Burnley last summer and was one of the shining lights in what was a poor season for the Clarets. The 25-year-old finished the campaign as the club’s top scorer, but it was not enough to prevent them from getting relegated from the Premier League.
New manager Vincent Kompany left Cornet out of the squad for Burnley’s season opener against Huddersfield Town, and it could be an indicator of things to come. There is no shortage of interest, with several top-flight clubs, including West Ham, Everton and Newcastle United, showing interest in securing his services.
David Moyes has worked wonders at the London Stadium and is keen to strengthen the left side of the West Ham attack. His primary target was Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic, but the 29-year-old is reluctant to make the switch to West Ham. This has forced the Hammers to shift their focus to Cornet.
The Ivory Coast international has a release clause of £17.5 million in his contract, an amount that is a pittance in today’s market. Cornet knows how to find the back of the net, and the thought of partnering him with Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen will give West Ham a formidable frontline.
West Ham are seeking to negotiate a lower fee, and that could hand the initiative to Everton and Newcastle United. Both clubs require an attacker as much as West Ham and are also keeping a keen eye on Cornet.
Frank Lampard saw star striker Richarlison leave Everton for Tottenham Hotspur, leaving a void in his attack. Everton will need to fill that gap in the squad if they are to avoid another relegation dogfight in the 2022/23 campaign. Signing Cornet should be seen as a priority rather than an option for the Merseysiders who lack serious firepower up front.
Newcastle, for their part, have chosen to strengthen their defence this season. The lack of an infallible goalscorer is still a major issue and will need to be addressed sooner or later. Eddie Howe has also had to deal with off-field issues surrounding arguably Newcastle’s most dynamic player, Allan Saint-Maximin.
Irrespective of whether Newcastle part ways with Saint-Maximin, they will do well to bring in Cornet. At the very least, it will give them another option in an attack that sorely lacks inspiration. Cornet, for his part, has a plethora of options to choose from. It would appear the 25-year-old has already played his last game for Burnley, with West Ham closing in on signing him.