West Ham United have reportedly overtaken Arsenal as favourites to sign Nigerian striker Henry Onyekuru.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic shake hands before the match
The Hammers have moved to the head of the queue to sign 20-year-old Onyekuru from Belgian club KAS Eupen, according to Sky Sports.
Onyekuru had been expected to join the Gunners but will now fly to England on Monday for talks with as many as seven interested clubs with first team football his top priority.
Sky Sports claims clubs can trigger the release clause in Onyekuru’s contract by paying £7.85m and wages of £35,000 a week.
Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho
Slaven Bilic is on the hunt for two new strikers this summer and has been linked with moves for Michy Batshuayi and Onyekuru’s compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho.
Onyekuru was the joint top-scorer in the Belgium first division last season with 25 goals, better than Belgian duo Romelu Lukaku and Batshuayi’s best seasons in Belgium.
But if that wasn’t enough to get Hammers fans excited, then video footage of the striker doing what he does best certainly will.
Batshuayi in his Standard Liege days
The obligatory YouTube video of a potential signing should always be taken with a pinch of salt, just ask West Ham fans about Julien Faubert.
There doesn’t seem to be a bad video of Onyekuru online, though, only clips which demonstrate his electric pace and cool, calm finishing prowess.
Bilic has publicly admitted pace is top of his agenda this summer and the young Nigerian has plenty of that.
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