West Ham have made a bid of £20m for Swansea attacker Andre Ayew according to Sky Sports sources. The Hammers have been scouring the market for striking reinforcements throughout the summer but have been frustrated on several occasions already.
Having made the historic move to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, West Ham would have been hoping to have a more fruitful summer after an impressive start. They have managed to tie down their star players to long-term contracts and have successfully issued a Not for Sale board as far as Euro star Dmitri Payet is concerned. One of the persistent problems they faced last season was the lack of a consistent goal-scorer who could be relied upon to lead the line for the whole season. Instead, they had to deal with various injury concerns allied with the loss of form and inconsistency amongst their forwards.
While they put a good account of themselves against the top teams, their failure to kill off the game against relatively easier oppositions hindered their momentum repeatedly. With high ambitions, this time, around, they publicly acknowledged their search for a striker which led to Diafra Sakho handing in a transfer request. While West Ham will let him leave, a replacement for the striker was urgently sought before any sale could be sanctioned.
But with the season opener drawing ever nearer, West Ham have seemingly decided to drop their interest in a marquee signing as their top targets have been holding out for Champions League football and stalling on deals. This has led to the Hammers turning their attention towards Andre Ayew who joined Swansea just a year ago. The Welsh outfit signed Ayew on a free last season and in case they decide to sell their top performer of last season, the Swans stand to make a hefty profit on the player.
ABOUT THE PLAYER
Ayew began his career in Ghana at the age of 14, playing for Nania. In 2005, he signed for Marseille and spent two seasons in the club’s youth academy before making his debut in the 2007–08 season. Ayew spent the following two seasons on loan with Lorient and Arles-Avignon, helping the latter team earn promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time. In 2010, he returned to Marseille and became an integral part of the first team under manager Didier Deschamps, making over 200 appearances and winning consecutive Trophée des champions and Coupe de la Ligues in both 2010 and 2011. He had two loan spells in between with Lorient and Aries-Avignon after which he returned to Marseille signing a 3-year contract.
He scored 12 goals and assisted a further 5 in 35 appearances for Swansea last season. His versatility enabled him to play all across the attacking line and he was adept in each of those positions. He will offer much-needed pace on the flanks and in central areas which would open up space for players like Payet and Feghouli to exploit.
