West Ham United have joined Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds in the race for £30 million-rated striker Noah Okafor, Tuttomercatoweb reporting that the London trio have lodged an enquiry with Red Bull Salzburg.
After Sadio Mane, Erling Haaland, Patson Daka and Dominik Szoboszlai; Okafor looks certain to be the next exciting young forward to fall off the prosperous Red Bull production line. The jet-heeled Switzerland international has 10 goals in just 22 games this season for the Austrian champions, including a wonderful solo effort against none other than AC Milan in the Champions Leauge group-stages.
Performances like that, on stages such as this, don’t tend to go unnoticed.
“Okafor really took off last year,” admits Salzburg director Christoph Freud, refusing to rule out the prospect of selling the 22-year-old should he maintain his rapid rate of progress in Qatar (Sky Germany).
“I hope he plays well at the World Cup. Then, the price for him could become very interesting. I don’t rule (selling him in 2023) out.”
Will West Ham beat Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United to Noah Okafor?
According to TMW, Okafor is holding out for a move to the Premier League; one that would see him follow in the footsteps of Haaland, Mane and Daka. Not to mention Naby Keita, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Hwang Hee-Chan and co.
Arsenal and Chelsea are keen. As are Leeds United. West Ham, the report adds, have also ‘asked for information’, with Okafor’s agent already admitting that he expects the former Basel starlet to set his next club back around £25 million.
West Ham are one of the lowest scoring teams in the Premier League this season; an under-pressure David Moyes struggling to coax the best out of a talented frontline. Okafor, then, would be a welcome addition to a side with just 12 goals in 15 games.
Stylistically speaking, Okafor is more Michail Antonio than he is Gianluca Scamacca. His searing pace, his effectiveness in one-v-one situations, and his ability to play across the frontline could potentially mark Okafor out as a long-term replacement for the soon-to-be 33-year-old Antonio at the London Stadium.
“He has magnificent technical qualities; speed and power,” former Swiss U21 coach Mauro Lustrinelli says of Okafor.
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