Nice have raised the bidding for Lorient striker Terem Moffi to £16 million after Premier League duo West Ham United and Southampton both saw bids rejected for the Nigeria international, according to L’Equipe.
Three years ago, Rangers rejected the chance to sign a little-known striker who had only just touched down on Belgian soil after a prolific spell in Lithuania. KV Kortrijk were demanding an admittedly-lofty £4.5 million at the time.
With the benefit of hindsight however – Moffi keeping pace with Kylian Mbappe and co at the top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts – Rangers would probably have to accept that the free-scoring 23-year-old was a punt worth taking.
The goals have been flowing for Moffi like a broken faucet over the last few seasons, and there’s not a plumber in sight. A typically composed finish in Lorient’s 2-2 midweek draw with Monaco was his 11th in 17 Ligue 1 games in 2022/23. Only Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe (13) has more.
Both Southampton and West Ham could only dream of such productivity. The Saints and The Hammers have hit the target just 15 times apiece this season – just four more goals than the relentless Moffi has all on his own.
West Ham, Everton and Southampton like Lorient striker Terem Moffi
Moffi’s price-tag, as you might expect, has grown rather considerably since those formative days in Kortrijk. Lorient want £25 million, and rejected lowball bids from Southampton and West Ham during the first few weeks of the window.
The largest offer, so far, has come from underachieving Ligue 1 rivals Nice. Bankrolled by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the low-flying Eagles submitted a £16 million offer on Friday, though that still falls well short of Lorient’s demands.
West Ham, according to The Mail, are ‘unable’ to stump up such an eye-watering fee; the Hammers hopes seemingly dead in the water. Southampton do have money to spend, but have already invested around £20 million combined on bringing Mislav Orsic and Carlos ‘Charly’ Alcaraz to St Mary’s.
You’d get better odds on Tommy Wisea being cast as the new James Bond, meanwhile, than Moffi ending up at Everton. The Toffees also like the one-time Atletico Madrid target, but are prioritising short-term loans and bargain deals this month with funds tight at Goodison Park.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
