The Sun reports that West Ham United is first in line to recruit Eddie Nketiah, an Arsenal striker, if he becomes a free agent this summer. The source claims that the former England under-21 international is uncomfortable with Arsenal’s pursuit of Chelsea forward Kai Havertz, who is allegedly close to completing his transfer across London.
Nketiah may drop even further down Mikel Arteta’s team’s pecking order with the German heading to the Emirates, which would put West Ham and Crystal Palace on high alert to recruit him.
West Ham United has previously indicated interest in the £100k per week striker, and the Daily Mail claims that Arsenal is willing to give the Hammers first crack at any outgoing players later this summer.
The Hammers and Palace are reportedly leading the race, although Arsenal is not in a rush to unload the nine-goal player this summer. The race to get Rice is heating up after Arsenal made two bids, but it’s encouraging to see West Ham United standing by their estimate of the midfielder’s worth of £100 million or more.
It would surely be desirable to get Nketiah, and the most recent rumor reported by the Daily Mail clearly suggests that the Gunners are prepared to provide West Ham a cash incentive in return for the midfielder.
The Youngstar Should Explore Oppourtunity Coming Up For Him
David Moyes is set to lose both Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio this summer, in addition to Rice, which means the Hammers will be hunting for Premier League-ready targets to boost and rebuild his team.
Nketiah is exactly the type of player West Ham United should be looking for. He’s a homegrown player with Premier League experience who can score goals, and the London Stadium can provide him the platform he needs to ultimately showcase his value on a consistent basis, something he’s not receiving at The Emirates right now.
As seen by his outstanding purple patch between November and January, while Gabriel Jesus was out injured, Nketiah is a genuine handful when he begins games. The striker would want guarantees that he would play in the first team more often than he has at Arsenal this season.
Thoughit is unclear if the Hammers would be able to provide that promise given that Michael Antonio is now the side’s first choice to lead the line. The fact that Nketiah needs to play more since he signed a new contract last year and West Ham United are both in dire need of strikers for the next season makes this pairing ideal.
