The reported interest in Wycombe Wanderers’ young striker is still very much alive. [Back last month](https://www.claretandhugh.info/13-2/) we suggested that West Ham were indeed looking for a ‘punt’ on a lower – league frontman to emulate the success shown by Jamie Vardy who of course came through the leagues himself.
The ‘lower league hitman’ as we called him was League 1’s **Richard Kone** who must be lighting up all the data boxes in Kyle Macaulay’s software to be still under consideration. We hear that it isn’t the issue of bringing an untried young third tier forward to West Ham so much as the price that is the sticking point.
Wycombe Wanderers are demanding twelve million pounds for him, according to EXWHUemployee reported in [thewesthamway.com:](https://www.thewesthamway.com/2025/06/20/room-for-manoeuvre-exwhuemployee-hammers-still-hold-interest-in-striker/) Not far off the League one transfer record which Birmingham paid to Fulham for Jay Stansfield in 2024. Which does seem an enormous sum for a division three striker. The Hammers are reported as needing some ‘room for manouvre’ – plenty of other young untried strikers in the sea it would seem, many far less than Kone.
Sounds like a case of transfer window ‘chicken’ to see who blinks first. If the Hammers get some money in through player sales to actually go ‘buying’ instead of window shopping, there could well be a deal at a lower figure with add-ons. At present though, there’s little point in Wycombe compromising as the Hammers don’t appear ready to splash the cash on – anyone.