West Ham United have joined the race for Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez, with Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur also monitoring the situation.
According to Daily Mirror, West Ham United are among a long list of clubs chasing highly-rated Feyenoord frontman Santiago Gimenez. Feyenoord will demand at least £40 million to part ways with the in-form striker.
Gimenez has taken Europe by storm since leaving Liga MX giants Cruz Azul in his native Mexico for Feyenoord in the summer of 2022, firing 23 goals across all competitions in his debut season for the Rotterdam-based outfit to help them lift their first Eredivisie title in six years.
That stunning form has carried over into the 2023/24 campaign, with the 22-year-old netting 13 goals alongside three assists in just nine Eredivisie outings. He also notched two goals in their comprehensive 3-1 victory against Lazio in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
Understandably, Gimenez’s performances have caught the attention of many top clubs in Europe, including the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus, and Real Madrid. There is also no shortage of suitors from the world’s richest football league, the Premier League.
Gimenez has been tipped for a transfer to Tottenham, who currently sit at the top of the Premier League table. Son Heung-min is currently scoring goals for fun in the central striker role in Spurs’ attack. But they could yet benefit from more attacking depth, having failed to find an immediate replacement for Harry Kane over the summer.
Aside from Feyenoord hitman Santiago Gimenez, they appear to have other names in the mix, including Stuttgart goal machine Serhou Guirassy. However, Tottenham are not the only English club monitoring the Mexican. Newcastle United and Arsenal have also watched him in recent weeks and have been impressed.
Mikel Arteta is keen to add a new striker to his squad in the January transfer window to help his side push for the Premier League title. Gimenez could be the man for the North Londoners. He is not only firing on all cylinders but is also showing the ability and potential of a well-rounded goal-getter. He is strong and quick, confident when carrying the ball against defenders and has shown brilliant link-up play.
As for Newcastle, they already have two of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League, Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson. So, signing another striker may not be a top priority for now. However, given the striker’s consistent injury problems and the fact that Wilson is not getting any younger at 31 years old, they might as well look to land themselves a ready-made replacement.
West Ham are also in the queue for the Feyenoord striker and could actually be classed as being “ahead of the game” in the battle for his signature, having opened talks with Feyenoord and the player himself over the summer to provide competition to veteran striker Michail Antonio after Gianluca Scamacca was sold to Atalanta.
Their efforts to bring him in for this season were futile. It is reported that the Hammers are keen to make a fresh approach in January for the Mexico international. However, they are likely to be priced out of a move, with Feyenoord reportedly demanding an Eredivisie-record transfer fee for Gimenez’s services. But the Mirror report claims the price tag is closer to £40 million.