West Ham United are in the race to sign a new striker in January, but a report has revealed that they aren’t the only club hoping to bring him to the Premier League.
West Ham transfer news
The Irons appear keen to bolster their options in the backline having already been linked with moves for two defenders in the form of Perth Glory’s James Overy and Club America’s Sebastian Caceres, but the centre of the park is another area that they are looking to strengthen.
David Moyes has set his sights on Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli and Manchester United’s Scott McTominay in that defensive midfield role, though with centre-forward reportedly having been made the priority area heading into the upcoming window, the boss is ready to do battle to secure one of his top targets.
Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez has established himself as Arne Slot’s best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Feyenoord statistics), and his impressive form has caught the eye of chiefs, but not for the first time at the London Stadium.
The Irons held preliminary talks for the 22-year-old over the summer both with his club and his representatives having been recommended to the hierarchy by technical director Tim Steidten, but having instead chosen to extend his contract, a deal failed to come to fruition before the deadline.
West Ham plotting move for Santiago Gimenez
According to The Mirror, however, Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez is of interest to West Ham who are considering taking a second bite of the cherry for their summer target.
“West Ham are among a long list of clubs chasing highly-rated Feyenoord frontman Santiago Gimenez. West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Lazio, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have all watched the 22-year-old in action during months gone by and Feyenoord are braced for winter approaches.
"Now Gimenez's value has sky-rocketed upwards of £40million although Feyenoord have no interest in selling their most-valuable asset, particularly halfway through the current campaign, in January.
"Although Gimenez is not the only target of interest – he is believed to be a popular pick among the Hammers' transfer committee despite widespread competition from across Europe.”
Since putting pen to paper at Feyenoord from Cruz Azul last summer, Gimenez has posted a remarkable 44 contributions, 38 goals and six assists, in 57 appearances (Transfermarkt – Gimenez statistics), with this prolific form having seen him described as a “Mexican Machine” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Slot’s left-footed star has also recorded a total of 38 shots so far this season which is more than any other of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Feyenoord statistics), highlighting his desire to create chances and hit the back of the net. Additionally, Gimenez knows what it takes to compete and be successful at a high level having secured six trophies for both club and country since the start of his career, so he could bring a real winning mentality to the squad at West Ham.
