West Ham United have stepped up their bid to sign a new striker ahead of the Premier League season – with reports suggesting that the club have made a move to sign Galatasaray striker Baris Alper Yilmaz after a strong Euros campaign for Turkey.
The Hammers suffered a poorer than usual season on the pitch last season with no European competition wrapped up for 2024/25, and with David Moyes leaving for Julen Lopetegui to come in, the Spaniard has already got to work with the signings of Luis Guilherme and Max Kilman. And that duo could be added to with the addition of Yilmaz, according to Turkish outlet Sabah.
West Ham to Bid for Yilmaz
The Turkish striker has massively impressed in recent years
The report states that despite Galatasaray chief ibrahim Hatipoglu suggesting that the striker was not for sale earlier in the window, clubs across Europe have lined up for his signature after a promising EURO 2024 campaign.
West Ham are one of those clubs, and though they were interested in Gala winger and former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, they have now changed their tune to focus their attention to Yilmaz as a result of his performances on the international scene.
The Premier League club are thought to be making an offer for the striker in the coming days, with the figure being discussed landing at around €35million – a whisker away from £29million as the Irons look to add to their striking ranks. The 24-year-old is set to return from international duty at the beginning of next week after a short break, and he is said to be ‘positive’ about continuing his career in the Premier League.
Baris Apler Yilmaz’s Super Lig statistics – Galatasaray squad ranking | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats | Output | Squad rank |
Appearances | 37 | =1st |
Goals | 6 | =5th |
Assists | 6 | =3rd |
Shots Per Game | 1.6 | =5th |
Dribbles Per Game | 1.8 | 1st |
Match rating | 7.15 | 3rd |
However, Galatasaray are thought to have no intentions of selling their star, who they will build their campaign around as they look to wrap up the Turkish Super Lig once more after winning it for the second season running back in May. This was a reason why they didn’t opt for Oguz Aydin, who instead went to bitter rivals Fenerbahce, and so the club won’t look favourably on the sale of Yilmaz, who has been labelled as tremendous.
Another reason why the club may not agree with the sale is that former club Ankara Keciorengucu are also following developments, given that they have a 20 per cent sell on fee should Yilmaz move – though they could sell their 20 per cent share for €3million (£2.55m).
West Ham’s Striker Recruitment Continues to Fail
The Hammers have been in the market for a top striker for years
West Ham have notoriously struggled when it comes to signing strikers in recent years. Barring Michail Antonio, who has been a consistent enough player at the London Stadium, West Ham have spend big on strikers in recent years and they haven’t quite paid off.
The likes of Sebastian Haller – who remains their record signing at £45million – alongside Gianluca Scamacca, Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll and more have all failed to stamp their mark on a first-team place in east London and as a result, the Irons haven’t really had anyone that they can properly rely on to score goals.
Antonio does have 67 goals for the club in nine seasons in the league, though the Hammers do need someone else to come to the fore if they are to progress higher up the table and score 15+ Premier League goals in a season – with too much of a responsibility on Jarrod Bowen to be their main goal grabber.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 18-07-24.