West Ham United may not be open to letting reported Leeds United transfer target Ashley Fletcher leave on loan in the summer transfer window.
West Ham United have one of the better squads in the Premier League, but in recent days they have suffered a number of key injuries in attack.
England international striker Andy Carroll is on the sidelines at the moment with a knee injury and is not expected to recover until late September, according to The Daily Star.
Forward Andre Ayew, who joined the Hammers from Premier League rivals Swansea City in the summer transfer window, is on the sidelines at the moment with a thigh muscle strain and is out until December at least, as reported by The Telegraph.
Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet are carrying knocks as well, but the two attacking midfielders should recover soon, as suggested by West Ham co-chairman David Gold on social networking site Twitter (click here to read more).
Diafra Sakho is still at the club, but the 26-year-old striker’s future at the Hammers remains uncertain.
As reported by Sky Sports, the Senegal international handed in a transfer request at the London club in July, with BBC Sport claiming of West Bromwich Albion’s interest in him earlier this month.
With all these injury and fitness problems, it is unlikely that West Ham will allow Ashley Fletcher to leave before the end of the summer transfer window.
The 20-year-old striker joined the London outfit in July after leaving Manchester United at the end of last season.
Leeds have been linked with a move for the youngster in the summer transfer window (click here to read more).
According to The Yorkshire Post, the Championship outfit want to secure the services of the 20-year-old striker on a loan deal.
Leeds were interested in signing Fletcher before the England Under-20 international moved to West Ham, according to a report in The Daily Mail in July.
Fletcher is unlikely to establish himself in the West Ham starting lineup this season, but with Carroll and Ayew both injured at the moment, manager Slaven Bilic may not want to lose the 20-year-old.
This means that Leeds will have to look elsewhere if indeed they are interested in adding another striker to their squad.
Chris Wood and Marcus Antonsson are the two main strikers on the books of Leeds at the moment.
Kemar Roofe, who joined the Whites from Oxford United in the summer transfer window, can play as a striker and so can Souleymane Doukara.
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