Villarreal striker Cedric Bakambu has admitted that West Ham attempted to sign him.
Villarreal striker Cedric Bakambu has told Marca that he did have interest from West Ham United this summer before signing a new deal with the La Liga side.
Bakambu, 26, joined Villarreal from Turkish side Bursaspor in the summer of 2015, and having hit 21 goals in 39 games in Turkey, he has continued his scoring exploits in Spain.
Villarreal’s Cedric Bakambu scores a goal against Sparta Prague
The striker smashed 22 goals in his first season for Villarreal, and whilst that dropped to 13 goals last season, he has continued to impress in Spanish football.
Bakambu’s record of five goals in 13 caps for the Democratic Republic of Congo is also impressive, and he has unsurprisingly attracted major interest in the transfer market.
With West Ham looking for a new striker this summer, The Telegraph reported last month that the Hammers had submitted a £22million bid for Bakambu.
However, not only was that bid rejected by Villarreal, but Bakambu then signed a new contract with the La Liga side last week, committing his future to the club until 2022.
Villarreal striker Cedric Bakambu
With any transfer this summer completely ruled out, Bakambu has spoken about his situation in an interview with Marca, admitting that West Ham were interested in his signature.
However, he added that he didn’t feel his job with Villarreal was done just yet, and wanted to fulfil his dream of staying with Villarreal and achieving success over the coming year.s
“Yes, but in my head, my dream has been to stay on this team because I have the feeling that the work I have done here is not over yet,” said Bakambu when asked about West Ham’s interest. That is why I have always wanted to continue with Villarreal,” he added.
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