An incredible list of West Ham striker targets is never far off the radar. Since 2010, the Irons have spent well in excess of £300m on 50 forwards in their pursuit of a true superstar goalscorer.
Niclas Fullkrug, 31, joined that list for £27m earlier this month. But although expectations are high for the German international, as he is in his thirties, he is not the long-term solution up top that Irons fans crave.
Here are our picks for who could make up the next batch of West Ham striker targets.
West Ham Striker targets: our top three
Jhon Duran
First up is Aston Villa and Colombia striker Jhon Duran. The Irons have learnt of Duran’s talents first hand, having seen him smash in an 80th minute winner against them on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Duran is a very talented forward, with a superb goalscoring record at Villa Park. Since his January 2023 arrival, the Colombian has 0.84 Premier League goals per 90 minutes.
Unfortunately for Duran, he has Ollie Watkins in his path, who is fresh off a season in which he scored 19 Premier League goals and notched 13 assists.
Duran has been strongly linked with a move away this summer, with Chelsea pursuing him, but were put off by Villa’s hefty price tag. West Ham themselves offered £32m for Duran, plus academy talent Lewis Orford.
West Ham may well return for the Colombian, should he continue to struggle for minutes in Birmingham.
Tammy Abraham
Another option that may appeal to West Ham is AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham.
The 26-year-old has struggled with injuries since his 27-goal debut season in Rome, and lost his place to Romelu Lukaku last season.
The England international reportedly has an asking price of just €25m, according to Corriere Dello Sport, with Daniele de Rossi’s side keen to get his £100,000 per week wages off the books.
The former Chelsea striker averages 0.57 Premier League goals per 90 in his career. So if the Irons can get Abraham fit and sharp again, this could prove to be a real bargain – though they may have to move quickly, with Everton also sniffing around
Wesley Gassova
A player who is not nominally a striker, but could allow the Irons to reconfigure their striking options is Wesley Gassova.
The Brazilian teenager currently plies his trade at Corinthians, playing off either wing, playing with speed and trickery.
As well as being a prospect for the future, Wesley could allow West Ham’s current superstar Jarrod Bowen to make his occasional move from the right wing to striker permanent.
The England international could be the prolific striker the Irons have been yearning for, with an impressive 16 Premier League goals last campaign.
The biggest stumbling block to this move is Corinthians’ £26m asking price.
