West Ham are likely to face competition from Bournemouth for the signature of Marseille striker Elye Wahi.

It was reported at the weekend that Eintracht Frankfurt had entered the battle to secure the France Under 23 international’s services.

However, L’Equipe also claims that the Cherries are interested in Wahi, who could be let go by Marseille if their demands are met before the end of the transfer window.

The Ligue One side are said to be keen on recouping the €25m (£21m) plus bonuses they paid Lens for the striker last summer.

West Ham have already tabled their first ‘offer’

Graham Potter’s side are believed to have made an approach for Wahi through an intermediary as early as last week.

L’Equipe report that the Irons did table a “concrete offer” which was a loan with a mandatory option to buy at the end of the season. Such a proposal does make sense, considering the club can’t pay much money upfront due to PSR restrictions.

It doesn’t appear the bid was successful, though, based on the fact that other teams are still hopeful of clinching a deal for the forward.

An Arsenal legend is a big fan of Wahi

Speaking after the player scored against Arsenal in a Champions League group game for Lens last season, Gunners icon Thierry Henry said:

“This guy you see on the screen had a hell of a finish on the second goal. Elye is special. Lens loves to play with their wing-backs – we are going to talk about how he stayed away from (William) Saliba. You will see that you don’t need to break your neck. He will beat you to the first post. Stay in a good position between the two lines, Frankowski sees it and Wahi does that to a tee. He can finish so well.”

Arsenal have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Wahi in the past, along with Chelsea, but it seems the biggest threat for West Ham at the moment will come from either Bournemouth or Frankfurt.

Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here