According to L’Equipe, West Ham are in pole position to sign Montpellier striker Gaëtan Laborde this summer.
The French news outlet claims that Laborde is definitely leaving the Ligue 1 side this summer, as he wants to play in Europe.
That desire has seemingly put West Ham in the driving seat for his signature, after David Moyes secured Europa League football.
L’Equipe add that Zenit St Petersburg are also in a good position to sign the 27-year-old, so the east Londoners will face competition from the Russian outfit.
Laborde enjoyed an excellent season with Montpellier, scoring 18 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions.
Montpellier’s No.10 also provided nine assists for his teammates.
West Ham clearly love Gaëtan Laborde
The interest in Laborde isn’t a surprise.
Back in January, the Evening Standard revealed that West Ham had a bid rejected for the Frenchman.
The offer was an initial loan move, with an obligation to buy the striker this summer.
However, Montpellier only wanted to entertain permanent bids rather than any loan moves, and no transfer to England materialised.
If West Ham are successful this time around, they’ll be getting a serious aerial presence.
Ligue 1’s official website describe him as one of the most successful players in the air in France’s top-flight.
Seeing as Laborde stands at just 1.81m (5 ft 9 in), that is quite impressive.
Keep an eye on this transfer saga, as it seems certain Laborde will leave.
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