West Ham United are desperate for a top striker this summer but like last year have been struggling to make headway with key targets.
West Ham United owners David Gold and David Sullivan
The Hammers have made signing two top strikers a priority after their failure to land a big name marquee forward last summer.
Slaven Bilic has been linked with moves for the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Kelechi Iheanacho, Michy Batshuayi, Onyekuru Henry and Olivier Giroud but it seems the club are no closer to adding to their solitary signing of Pablo Zabaleta so far this summer.
And there was more disappointing news for Bilic with another of his targets Chelsea’s Bertrand Traore – who spent last season impressing on loan for Europa League finalists Ajax – reportedly on the verge of sealing a move to Lyon.
Traore, 21, scored nine goals in 24 games for Ajax last season but has no future at Chelsea who are expected to sign Everton star Romelu Lukaku this summer.
Bertrand Traore during his successful loan spell with Ajax
The Sun reported Slaven Bilic was keen on the Burkina Faso international with a £17m deal mooted.
But French media outlet L’Equipe is reporting that Traore is instead set to sign for Lyon for around the same kind of fee.
It is a second blow in as many days for Bilic after another of his targets, Anthony Modeste, left Cologne in a mega money move to China.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic speaks with Simone Zaza
Bilic has time on his side at the moment with the transfer window still in its infancy.
But the former Croatia boss will not want a repeat of the mistakes of last summer where the Hammers wasted too much time chasing targets who did not want to join the club and had to settle for flop Simone Zaza on loan from Juventus.
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