LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 27: A general view inside the stadium as Neal Maupay of Brighton & Hove Albion scores their team's first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion at London Stadium on December 27, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
According to a recent report, West Ham United has stated that they would be open to signing a “devastating” £30 million forward who has been compared to Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.
West Ham would like to recruit more attackers.
Ahead of Julen Lopetegui’s debut season at the London Stadium, the Hammers moved quickly in the transfer window, acquiring veteran goalkeeper Wes Foderingham from Sheffield United and youngster winger Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras.
Guilherme and Foderingham won’t be the only summer singings, though, with West Ham hoping to seal a deal for Wolves centre-back Max Kilman this week. Should they do just that, attention could then return to the final third, with a number of attackers being linked with moves to the Irons. For example, bids have reportedly been made for former Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, now at Galatasaray, and Colombian forward Jhon Arias who is at Fluminense.
The Hammers are actively vying to recruit Jonathan David, a striker for Lille, who may be available for as little as £17 million. Information on a deal for David has been compiled by West Ham, and it appears they have done the same for an attacker from Serie A.
West Ham is open to acquiring Gudmundsson.
West Ham has reportedly stated that they would be open to signing Genoa attacker Albert Gudmundsson, according to CaughtOffside. According to reports, both the Hammers and Spurs have contacted the Serie A team to inquire about the terms of a possible transfer and have notified them that they are eager to finalize a deal.
Genoa value Gudmundsson at up to €35m (£30m), however, even though West Ham are seemingly extremely keen, it is believed that Inter Milan are the side currently leading the race for his services.
The 27-year-old has been on the books with Genoa since 2022, scoring 31 goals and providing 10 assists in 87 appearances. Mainly turning out in a second striker role last season, Gudmundsson contributed to 21 goals in 37 games, with his Transfermarkt valuation rocketing to a career-high €30m as a result.
As well as playing as a second striker, the Iceland international can also play on either wing, so would provide Lopetegui with an extremely versatile attacking option. Genoa teammate Kevin Strootman has even compared Gudmundsson to Salah, calling him a “devastating player” last year.
“If he keeps improving, he won’t stay at Genoa for long. He reminds me of Salah when he was at Roma, in that every now and then he disappears. Much like Salah then, he would have four or five chances per match and only score at most one.
“They used to say that if Salah was more clinical, he would be playing for Liverpool, and that is exactly what happened. All joking aside, Gudmundsson is a devastating player and also an exemplary professional.”
