West Ham set to miss out on another attacking target as Middlesbrough’s Adama Traore interests Newcastle.
It is starting to become a frustratingly familiar story for West Ham United this summer as yet another attacking target looks set to bypass the club and move elsewhere.
The Hammers were linked with a move for Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore by the Gazette in June, but now the Chronicle reports that Newcastle United are in discussions over signing the 21-year-old.
Middlesbrough’s Adama Traore in action with Everton’s Morgan Schneiderlin
While there may be some concerns over Traore’s end product – a player who has been relegated from the Premier League the past two seasons with Aston Villa and then Boro – this is still another forward player that West Ham look set to miss out on.
After co-owner David Gold told talkSPORT the East London club were looking to sign two strikers with proven credentials in the English top flight, they seem to have been scuppered at every turn.
First they fell behind in the race to sign Olivier Giroud from Arsenal, according to the Standard, then the Mirror reported Bayer Leverkusen ace Javier Hernandez was demanding too much in wages, before the Standard then reported Slaven Bilic pulled out of the race to sign Kelechi Iheanacho from Manchester City because of doubts over the youngster.
It means that the Hammers’ only summer business to date remains the free transfer of right-back Pablo Zabaleta and they are still no closer to solving their issues in the final third.
There is still several more weeks to go until the window shuts and the Standard also says the club are still in for Burnley’s Andre Gray, but with sides around them having already been busy a sense of dread might be starting to creep in among the London Stadium faithful.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic looks dejected
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