Exclusive: West Ham submit £30m centre-forward bid
West Ham have tabled a blockbuster £30million loan-to-buy bid for AC Milan striker Krzysztof Piatek, Football Insider can reveal.
The Hammers have set their sights on a new forward as they put the finishing touches to a deal for midfielder Tomas Soucek in what is shaping up to be a late signing frenzy.
A West Ham source has told Football Insider that the club have made a big-money move for Piatek, 24, in an attempt to beat Tottenham and Chelsea to his signature.
The offer on the table from the east Londoners is an initial loan that would become permanent in the summer in a deal worth £30m in total.
Nevertheless, Spurs and Chelsea currently edge West Ham in the late-window race for Piatek.
The Poland international striker is expected to leave Milan this month and is keen on a move to the Premier League.
He has lost his place in the Italians' starting XI for the last three Serie A matches after failing to hit the heights of his outstanding 2018-19 campaign.
Piatek has scored five goals from 19 matches this term after netting a remarkable 30 goals from 42 matches last season across spells with Milan and Genoa.
West Ham are in the market for attacking reinforcements after mixed form from club-record signing Sebastien Haller this season.
They also recruited a second striker in Albian Ajeti from Basel but the duo have failed to replace 2019 departees Marko Arnautovic, Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez.