West Ham ready to go big in January for Bournemouth’s Wilson after Sakho blow
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West Ham look set to launch a £25m bid for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson in January, after Diafra Sakho was ruled out for eight weeks.
What a difference a year makes. 12 months ago Slaven Bilic could do no wrong and West Ham were on their way to their best ever Premier League campaign.
Fast forward a year and the Hammers have been battling relegation and an injury crisis which is seemingly never-ending.
Sakho’s injury is the latest blow to Bilic, and the Londoners’ dire need of attacking players has seen them linked with Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
The Irons were the fifth-highest goalscorers last season, but now only five teams have netted fewer than the east London outfit.
And with their forwards contributing just two goals this year, it’s little wonder Bilic is so keen to do some business in January.
Their latest target is Wilson, who has netted five times for the Cherries this term, the same tally as last season before injury curtailed his campaign.
But the 24-year-old is continuing to impress in the top tier, and it remains to be seen how Eddie Howe and the Bournemouth board feel about a £25m bid.
They certainly have no need to sell, with Wilson starting 14 times for the Dorset club, and they know how desperate West Ham’s situation is getting.
But Bournemouth may feel that they could reinvest that money elsewhere and improve the squad in other areas.
Bilic will be hoping for better news on Boxing Day, when he takes his side in Wales to face Swansea.
After two wins on the spin, the Hammers have improved of late, but with such a lack of firepower upfront, the bookies make them outsiders at 7/4.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
