West Ham United want to bring Bertrand Traore to the London Stadium. Traore has impressed in his loan spell with Ajax this season and the Hammers are trying to entice him to the English Premier League once again.
Traore will come back to Chelsea as the season has ended but he hasn’t played for the West London side for a long spell. He has been with the club since 2013 but has a handful number of appearances for them.
He was sent on loan to Vitesse Arnhem where he lit up the season with some breathtaking football. The Burkina Faso international netted 20 goals for the club and later he moved to Holland to have his foot talking for Ajax.
He continued to impress as he racked up 13 goals and four assists for the Dutch side. Ajax came second in the Eredivisie and also secured the second place in the Europa League after Manchester United defeated them in the final.
The 21-year-old gelled well with the youth Ajax side and their brand of football. He was handed a more free role which has worked out pretty well for him. He can be deployed upfront and can also play in the wider positions.
The Hammers are ready to spend a mammoth £17m for the player who has earned accolades for his performances. Bilic is currently short of options in the attacking front as apart from Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio he doesn’t have the kind of player who could make a difference and Traore certainly has that potential to create havoc in the opponent’s attacking third.
It is now up to Chelsea whether they will release the player permanently or want another loan stint for the talented forward. Antonio Conte has already a number of attacking options with the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro, Willian and Michy Batshuayi at his disposal and to dig up a place for him in the starting lineup would be difficult for him.
Everton are also contemplating a move for the player and are ready to meet Chelsea’s demands for the player. The Toffees are looking for a suitable player to replace Romelu Lukaku and Traore could be the one. Ronald Koeman would be more than happy if they somehow hijack the deal.
Lille, Lyon and Schalke have enquired about his availability and Bilic has to move fast to finalise the deal for the player who also has the experience of playing in the Premier League.
