Transfer news - Exclusive: West Ham line up Olivier Giroud as Sebastien Haller replacement

ByDean Jones

Updated 08/01/2021 at 09:44 GMT

West Ham United have offloaded Sebastien Haller to Ajax for less than half the figure they paid in 2019. They have identified a fellow Frenchman as a potential replacement with sources telling Inside Football that Olivier Giroud is being lined up for a move to his third London club after Arsenal and Chelsea.

West Ham are searching for a new centre-forward and could make a move for Olivier Giroud after they offloaded Sebastien Haller.

Ajax landed Haller for a reported €22.5m (£20.3m) on Friday, tying it up quick enough for him to figure against rivals PSV at the weekend.

The personal terms looked tricky as Haller earned over £100,000-a-week at West Ham, and that did not fit well with Ajax’s pay structure. Yet because of his desire to play under Erik Ten Hag he was willing to listen to fresh ideas on payment terms.

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Haller had suspected he might move this month but sources say he told the club earlier this week that he would only consider Bundesliga clubs. That was before Ajax suddenly declared interest though, and as soon as they made contact Haller let West Ham bosses know that he was very keen on the potential deal.

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Now West Ham are considering how they should replace him in their front line.

Officials are looking into how much it would take for Giroud to move across London from Chelsea but plenty of other targets have also been scouted in recent times. Some sources close to Giroud still believe he may leave Stamford Bridge this month - and the option of remaining in London would prove tempting.

It is not yet clear whether that is the type of forward David Moyes wants though, so other options are being explored.

Reims forward Boulaye Dia has scored 10 goals in 16 Ligue 1 games this season and is one of the leading names that has been discussed, but Bournemouth’s Josh King is also seen as an option along with 18-year-old Adam Hlozek from Sparta Prague.

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