West Ham United held talks with Boulaye Dia last week but the Ligue 1 striker has agreed a £10 million move to Spanish side Villarreal instead, as reported by Le10 Sport.
It has been six months since Sebastien Haller completed his move to Ajax, returning to the calmer waters of the Eredivisie after an ill-fated year-and-a-half in English football.
And, try as they might, West Ham still haven’t found a replacement. Michail Antonio – a player being used as a right-back not so long ago – lacks any real competition for the number nine berth in David Moyes’ starting XI.
The Hammers missed out to Leicester City for Patson Daka, have failed to progress their talks with Abdallah Sima, while Youssef En-Nesyri has made it clear he has little interest in a move to the London Stadium.
So Dia’s impending move to the Castellon Coast will only add to the growing sense of frustration around the club’s lack of transfer activity.
Why did West Ham miss out on Boulaye Dia?
And, according to reports from across the Channel, those negotiations were revisited last week as the Hammers made one last attempt to lure Dia to England.
Those efforts appear to have been in vain, however, with Le10 Sport one of many publications claiming the 24-year-old speed-machine is heading to Spain after an impressive campaign at Reims.
Villarreal have had a £10 million bid accepted, with Dia expected to sign a five-year deal with the reigning Europa League champions.
Where do West Ham go from here? Time’s running out and they appear to be no closer to finding a new centre-forward.
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