West Ham United have been heavily linked with Carlos Bacca.
According to a recent report by Sky Sports, West Ham United have seen a £15 million bid for highly-rated striker Carlos Bacca knocked back by Serie A giants AC Milan.
The Hammers have made no secret of their attempts to sign a big-name striker this summer – one the club hopes will drive the team on and be that missing piece towards a potential top four spot.
A number of names have been linked with a move to West Ham, with the latest being Milan’s top scorer Bacca following his impressive 18-goal haul during a season of struggles for the Italian giants.
There is no doubt Bacca would be a fine option, yet it seems West Ham may have to pay as much as £20 million to land him and there could be a much cheaper solution available to them.
According to a recent report by Tuttosport, AC Milan are considering Jackson Martinez as a potential Bacca replacement and the fellow Colombia international striker could be available on loan.
Martinez joined Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande in a big-money move after his stay at Atletico Madrid did not quite work out, and not much has been said of him since.
However, the former Porto man still boasts plenty of ability, and it was not too long ago he was firing on all cylinders in Portugal with a whopping 94 goals in 143 matches over three seasons.
At 29, he is supposedly entering the prime years of his career and should he be available on loan West Ham would be wise to bring him in on a year-long deal at fraction of a Bacca-type fee.
Martinez could be the man to fire West Ham to a top four spot next season. He has the ability and goal scoring nous, and under boss Slaven Bilic perhaps the fire to reignite his career in England.
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