West Ham United transfer news: The Hammers were close to signing Youssef En-Nesyri.
According to Estadio Deportivo, West Ham United were interested in signing Youssef En-Nesyri this summer but never sought to sign the attacker.
On Saturday (9 September), the Spanish daily stated on its website that the Hammers were once again interested in the Sevilla striker, but decided to stick with the attacking options already available at the London Stadium.
AC Milan then had a late-season bid rejected that would have sent Divock Origi to Spain in exchange for a loan fee and the option to make the deal permanent next year, only for the Spanish club to seek £25.8 million for a permanent deal.
David Moyes was desperate to bolster his attacking options throughout the summer window, and the Irons were linked with a move for the Moroccan forward several times before pulling out on deadline day [Sean Whetstone, 1 September].
Options
It appears that Moyes and those in command at West Ham believe they have enough offensive options at the London Stadium to compete this year, rather than overpaying for a new option when they required more immediate reinforcement this summer.
En-Nesyri would have been a useful addition because he has routinely scored goals, including 18 in all competitions for Sevilla last season, but Moyes and his team had other targets they opted to pursue, even if none of them were successful.
West Ham have found the net from all over the pitch in the early stages of the season, with Jarrod Bowen in some of his finest form of his career and Michail Antonio carrying more of a danger than he did for the duration of the previous campaign.
It remains to be seen whether this form will be sustained for the remainder of the season, given that the Hammers have only played four games this season. But, if they want to sign En-Nesyri for the fourth window in a row, he appears to be available if a club matches Sevilla’s asking price.
Jesse Lingard has been sighted in play in a behind-closed-doors encounter for West Ham.