West Ham have “closed” an “agreement” with Atletico Madrid for striker Samu Omorodion, according to ElDesmarques.com.
The Spanish sports news outlet claims that the Hammers are expected to pay around €30m (£25.5m) for the Spanish Under 21 international.
Omorodion has spent the season out on loan at another La Liga team, Alaves, where he has scored 8 goals in 34 league appearances.
That may not seem like a great return in terms of output but it must be emphasised that the forward is still only 20 years of age.
Furthermore, only 22 of those 34 matches were starts, and he was playing for a very defensive team, who scored just 36 goals all season.
What do West Ham fans need to know about Omorodion?
The youngster was born in Melilla, Spain, but he is of Nigerian heritage. So far, he has opted to play for the country of his birth at international level, having made 7 appearances for Spain’s Under 21s.
Omorodion’s club career started at Granada, coming through their academy before scoring on his first-team debut against Atletico Madrid back in August last year. He was subsequently signed by Diego Simeone’s team for €6m 12 days later and then loaned out for the season to Alaves.
The Spaniard is not the only forward the Hammers are pursuing
Technical director Tim Steidten seems to be working very hard on reinforcing Julen Lopetegui’s options up front. The club are still locked in talks with Palmeiras about signing teenager Luis Guilherme. There were reports that the deal was in danger of collapsing due to wage demands but it seems the transfer is back on.
In addition, there are also suggestions that West Ham are eyeing a move for Lens striker Elye Wahi. However, if the deal for Omorodion is as advanced as ElDesmarques says, then an offer for the Frenchman seems a lot less likely.
