West Ham United keen on Chris Fuhrich

West Ham United have reportedly joined the race to sign VfB Stuttgart’s Chris Fuhrich ahead of the summer transfer window.

According to Sky Sports Germany, West Ham United are one of the clubs eyeing a move for Vfb Stuttgart winger Chris Führich, thanks to a bargain release clause in his current deal.

Fuhrich is something of a late-bloomer, having not made his Bundesliga debut until he turned 23 years old. But he’s making up for lost time and two decent seasons have been followed by an excellent one.

Simply put, the 26-year-old, who made his debut for Germany in October, has been superb this season and his attacking returns have propelled Stuttgart up to third in the German top flight, boasting seven goals and seven assists in 25 Bundesliga matches so far.

Stuttgart extended the player’s deal until 2028 in February, with a release clause also inserted as part of the negotiations. Sky state the “realistic amount” in the clause is around €20 million, which has made him a hot commodity ahead of the reopening of the summer window.

Per Sky Deutschland, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig have all identified the attacker as a target for the upcoming transfer window.

It goes on to say that “there is also interest” from abroad, with the Hammers being the only club mentioned.

Chris Fuhrich the solution to West Ham’s attacking woes?

The future of manager David Moyes, whose contract expires this summer, is currently the talk of the town at the London Stadium, and while the Scotsman’s managerial tenure has received mixed responses from West Ham fans, he hasn’t been helped by a lack of new forward options.

Both Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals left the London Stadium in January, leaving Moyes without many alternatives, something West Ham might attempt to address this summer.

Michail Antonio’s injury woes have taken their toll on the Hammers this season, even despite only netting twice in the Premier League so far.

While the 33-year-old was unavailable, Moyes deployed star winger Jarrod Bowen as an out-and-out striker. Although the Englishman is the club’s top scorer this campaign, with 17 goals in all competitions, it is by no means a permanent fix.

Fuhrich is naturally a left winger but possesses the ability to play as a centre-forward. He possesses decent pace and dribbling ability as well as a lovely passing game, which has made him a real creative phenom this campaign, and at around €20 million, he could prove to be an excellent signing for the Hammers if they are able to beat the stiff competition to land his services this summer.