West Ham have “opened talks” with Montpellier about signing Elye Wahi, according to TEAMtalk.

The website claims that the Hammers have made enquiries for the France Under 21 international, who scored 19 times in Ligue One last season.

It was reported in the French media at the end of July that Chelsea had had a €25m (£21.5m) offer turned down by Montpellier for Wahi, and they have yet to return with another proposal.

Other clubs, such as Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt, have also been mentioned as potential suitors for the 20-year-old but he is still a Montpellier player as things stand.

An alternative to Folarin Balogun?

West Ham are known to be interested in Arsenal striker Folarian Balogun, and there was some confidence that a deal could be done if the Irons met the player’s £40m+ asking price.

However, it has since emerged that the American international may favour a move abroad, so it is not surprising that David Moyes’s side are considering potential alternatives.

How much would West Ham have to pay for Wahi?

It has been suggested that Montpellier would be open to selling the Frenchman for between €30m (£26m) and €35m (£30m), which would put him in the London club’s price range.

They have recently sold Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta for a deal worth £27m and the money from that sale could be directly invested back into signing his replacement.

Moyes may, however, have some reservations about Wahi. The forward is still pretty inexperienced and there are question marks over whether he is ready to lead the line for a Premier League team.

Chelsea’s interest in the player was reportedly dependent on loaning him out to their feeder club Strasbourg for a further year so he could continue his development. Bringing Wahi to the London Stadium and expecting him to settle straight away may be too much to ask.