West Ham United have, on Monday, stepped up the club’s pursuit of Chelsea striker Armando Broja, according to reports.
The player in question? Armando Broja.
Hitman Broja is of course fresh off an impressive stint in England’s southeast, after linking up with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton on a temporary basis last summer.
All told, despite something of a barren spell in front of goal late over the latter months of the campaign, the highly-regarded Albanian racked up a respectable nine goals across all competitions, six of which came by way of the Premier League.
Armando Broja scores his team’s opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Leeds United at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, southern England on October 16, 2021 (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
It is Broja’s all-round exploits, though – the 20-year-old boasts a rare combination of size, athleticism and touch – which are understood to have seen interest in his services begin to mount ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
And, as alluded to above, on Monday, an insight into the keenness of one such club to land Broja has been provided.
As per a report from Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, West Ham have set their sights firmly on the on-loan Chelsea man to reinforce the club’s frontline this summer.
The Hammers are of course in desperate need of fresh blood up top, having essentially run Michail Antonio into the ground this past season.
In turn, negotiations have been opened between the transfer team at the London Stadium, and their counterparts at Stamford Bridge.
Though a deal is not understood to be in any way close to completion, the eagerness of the former to bring Broja to the club could well result in steps being taken in the right direction over the coming days and weeks.
Chelsea, for their part, are expected to demand a fee in the region of £25 – 30 million for their up-and-coming forward’s signature.
Armando #Broja, @ChelseaFC striker, is now first target for @WestHam. ⚒️🔵 #CFC #WHUFC
Negotiation ongoing over a £25/30milliom fee. 💰
Details here 👇https://t.co/bh5keQKxN2— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) June 20, 2022
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