According to a recent report by Calciomercato, West Ham United will battle it out with Napoli to earn the right to secure the services of Genoa striker Christian Kouame in the summer. The same source has revealed that the Hammers have identified the Ivory Coast centre-forward as their marquee transfer target for the summer window, but it is also worth noting that Genoa won’t sell their prized asset unless they receive an offer of at least €25m.
Kouame’s Young Career In A Nutshell
Kouame spent most of his youth career playing for clubs like Prato, Sassuolo, Inter Milan and Cittadella. He has finally managed to cut the mustard at Genoa since making a switch to Stadio Luigi Ferraris last summer.
The 21-year-old has managed to establish himself as a regular first-team player at the Serie A club and has put in some scintillating displays for them during this campaign.
The Ivory Coast striker has featured in 32 matches for the Italian outfit this term, scoring four goals while grabbing seven assists in all competitions. He is currently an integral member of the Ivory Coast Under-23 side having made two appearances for them thus far.
What Will The Ivorian Bring To The London Stadium?
Kouame is versatile enough to play in multiple positions across the frontline. He primarily operates as a central striker but is equally capable of playing on the flanks. The Genoa goal-getter has blistering pace and is a decent dribbler with the ball in the opposition half. He is ever willing to run the channels and work hard for his team. However, Kouame needs to add more goals to his game if he wants to test himself against the big boys of Premier League football.
Is Kouame The Right Option For The Hammers?
There is no doubt that Manuel Pellegrini will be able to bolster his attacking options significantly if he can pull off this deal to bring the Ivory Coast talent to the London Stadium. West Ham needs to recruit some fresh faces in the summer transfer period if they are to have a successful campaign next term. Except for Javier Hernandez, none of their strikers has been able to score goals consistently this season.
Hence, recruiting a player like Kouame will only ease their goal-scoring problems in the long-run. So the Serie A forward could prove to be a fantastic coup for them ahead of the new season.
