West Ham United are interested in a deadline day deal for Senegalese star Ismaila Sarr, HITC understands.
The Hammers have been looking for a new forward all month but have seen numerous deals fail to materialise with interest shown in the likes of Ibrahim Osman, Jonathan Rowe, Willy Gnonto, Hugo Ekitike and Jota.
Now with Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals looking likely to depart The London Stadium on Thursday, it gives West Ham a chance to work on bringing in targets.
Hammers target
And HITC can reveal that Sarr has emerged as a target for West Ham – who showed an interest in the former Watford man last summer, before he moved to Marseille.
Sarr – who enjoyed a very good AFCON with Senegal – has seen his chances limited at Marseille, starting just eight league games so far this season and he has been linked with moves already in January.
Nottingham Forest and Villarreal have both enquired about a deal, and now West Ham have joined the chase in the hope of landing the 25-year-old.
Sarr has seen his stock drop since his move to France having previously been on the radars of both Liverpool and Manchester United.
Neville praise
Even last year, Sky Sports’ Gary Neville admitted he admiration for the player, after seeing him linked with a big move.
“He’s a big, big talent, honestly he really is,” he said on his own podcast.
“We’ve seen his performances, he’s a shining light…when you let him have the ball, he can get it out of his feet and whip ridiculously good crosses in. So that’s when you’re thinking about the fact that you’ve got a real problem, as a full-back.”
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