West Ham and Brighton-linked forward Cyle Larin scored again for Besiktas on Thursday as the January transfer looms.
Larin, who starred for Orlando City before moving to Turkey in 2018, has scored 22 international goals for Canada.
He won the double with Besiktas last season but opted against signing a new contract, so a pre-contract deal elsewhere could be negotiated next month.
West Ham reportedly bid £9m for him during the last January transfer window [Sabah] and links have persisted since then, with suggestions even made that he’s keen on a move to the London Stadium [Haber365].
Other Premier League clubs are also said to be in the hunt, with TEAMtalk asserting earlier this month that Brighton are keen.
West Ham and Brighton target delivers again
Perhaps motivated by the transfer speculation, the 26-year-old is hitting some form late on in the year.
He moved into double figures for the season for club and country with a goal in a 4-2 win over Kayserispor two weeks ago and he showed his goalscoring instincts again on Thursday with an impressive finish in a 2-1 comeback win over Goztepe.
In the 31st minute, he ran onto a delicate pass from Oguzhan Ozyakup in the left side of the area and opened his body up before expertly find the top right corner.
He now has six goals and one assist from 15 Super Lig appearances this season, which is a decent return, especially considering he’s often been deployed on the left rather than through the middle.
Cyle Larin a good option for Seagulls
Hammers boss David Moyes doesn’t have an embarrassment of riches at the top end of the pitch, but it’s probably Brighton who are in more desperate need of a new forward.
They don’t tend to have too many issues with chance creation but they are averaging less than a goal per game in the league.
Given Larin’s contract situation, he looks to be a strong cost-effective option for Graham Potter.
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