West Ham eye ‘amazing’ £17m striker but accept deal will be very difficult

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West Ham United are keen on Victor Boniface with the Premier League outfit prioritising a striker but there is an acceptance that signing the Bayer Leverkusen forward will prove ‘difficult’. 

You can say that again.

And not just because Bayer Leverkusen are likely to demand a substantial profit on the £17 million fee they forked over to Union Saint-Gilloise in June. Victor Boniface has been a revelation for the Bundesliga pacesetters and, according to TEAMtalk, West Ham United are under no illusions about the size of the task facing them should they look to lure the Nigeria international to the London Stadium. 

West Ham United eye Victor Boniface

A January departure, with Leverkusen dreaming of a historic Bundesliga title, is a non-starter. Come the summer, meanwhile, Boniface is likely to have his fair share of admirers amongst Europe’s genuine elite, clubs capable of offering Champions League football and wages higher than West Ham are capable of putting on the table. 

No wonder the Hammers, per TEAMtalk, accept that winning the race for Boniface would be a ‘difficult’ challenge indeed. 

Boniface scored 17 goals for Union SG in 2022/23. He looks destined to comfortably outstrip that tally, hitting 11 already – alongside six assists – in Germany. Powerful yet skilful, fearsome yet full of finesse, Boniface’s performances have drawn comparisons with one of the Premier League’s all-time greats, Chelsea legend Didier Drogba. 

‘Amazing’

“He’s been amazing. It’s always great to see one of our own doing well,” Nigeria and Bolton icon Jay-Jay Okocha tells LiveScore. 

“He gives us hope. It shows we are not short of talent.”

“(Boniface) helps the team with his game,” adds Leverkusen’s highly-rated head coach Xabi Alonso (BuliNews). “He wants to enjoy the game, but not just for himself.  

“He’s not just a classic striker, not just a bomber. He is complete.” 

West Ham are reportedly keeping tabs on AZ Alkmaar’s Vangelis Pavlidis and Boniface’s Leverkusen team-mate Adam Hlozek, plus Serhou Guirassy of Stuttgart.