West Ham 'enquire' about striker Antonio Conte says is 'serious and professional'
West Ham are said to have set their sights on another striker as the search goes on ahead of the deadline.
West Ham are said to be interested in a deal to sign a Serie A forward as they look to bridge the gap left by the injured Niclas Fullkrug, The German striker struggled early on in his Hammers stay with injury, and he now faces another few weeks on the sidelines.
Fullkrug picked up a fresh blow against Aston Villa in the FA Cup, and the club confirmed in a statement after the game: “West Ham United can confirm striker Niclas Füllkrug sustained a hamstring injury in Friday’s FA Cup third round tie against Aston Villa. The German striker will be sidelined for a number of weeks.”
The injury has now forced the Hammers into the market, with Graham Potter likely to snap up a forward before the window shuts next Monday night. A number of strikers have been linked, and the latest is Napoli forward Giacomo Raspadori.
That’s according to Gianluca Di Marzio, who says the Irons have expressed an interest in Raspadori, asking about his availability, but they haven’t managed to make any sort of breakthrough. The report adds that Napoli have informed West Ham and Marseille, who have both enquired, that the striker is not currently available because they do not have a replacement.
The 24-year-old striker is has only made 14 appearances across all competitions this season, including 11 league outings. The striker has started just twice in Serie A, scoring only once across all competitions, although he is more of a target man than a goalscorer. Nevertheless, it seems the Hammers will need to look elsewhere for now, at least unless Napoli find a new striker between now and the end of the window. Raspadori is currently valued at £12.5million,
Napoli boss Antonio Conte spoke about Raspadori’s lack of appearances in late December, saying: “We are inventing Raspadori as a choice, I am working on him as a central midfielder. I am happy for Jack [Raspadori] because he is someone who trains in a serious and professional way. He gives us the goals and the quality we need.”