West Ham have issued a response to exciting claims they’ve swooped in to hijack another club’s deal for highly-rated striker Lucas Stassin at the 11th hour.
A plethora of forwards have been linked with moves to West Ham this summer transfer window.
Young Celtic hotshot Daniel Cummings will sign for the Hammers on Tuesday July 1st.
Cummings is very highly rated by Celtic and Scotland but has opted to leave for a move to West Ham, much to the anger of Brendan Rodgers.
The 19-year-old Glaswegian has been lured to the London Stadium on the promise of being part of Graham Potter’s first team squad.
Hammers hunt for a top new striker
But the Hammers are also desperately searching for a top new – and, importantly, young – striker to spearhead Potter’s rebuild.
Evann Guessand, Emanuel Emegha and Mathias Kvistgaarden are said to be three of the leading contenders to fill that role.
One striker link that refuses to go away, though, is West Ham wanting Saint Etienne star Lucas Stassin.
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Those links have stirred some excitement in West Ham circles.
St Etienne striker Lucas Stassin was named the Ligue 1 young player of the 2024-25 season.
Photo by SYLVAIN THOMAS/AFP via Getty Images
There have been a host of claims made about the club’s interest in Stassin, who was officially named the best young player in Ligue 1 in his breakthrough season.
That’s despite suffering relegation with his club.
It was claimed weeks ago that West Ham were ‘in advanced talks’ to sign Stassin in a £20-25m deal.
West Ham responded to those claims swiftly and emphatically, almost as soon as they emerged earlier this month.
Hammers News revealed West Ham’s owners denied there was any truth to the Stassin claims.
In fact the Hammers board twice refuted claims they want Stassin.
West Ham respond to claim they have ambushed Stassin move
But three weeks on, those links persist.
Now West Ham have responded to a fresh claim they have ambushed a club’s move for exciting striker Stassin.
Team Football France is reporting that the Hammers have hijacked Lens’ move for Stassin at the 11th hour.
The report claims West Ham are in ‘concrete talks’ to snatch the player from under Lens’ nose.
Lens are believed to have agreed a loan with obligation deal with Saint Etienne. But it is stated the Irons think they can lure him to London instead.
Highly-rated Belgian striker Lucas Stassin celebrates scoring for Saint Etienne during his breakthrough season
Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK/AFP via Getty Images
Many Hammers fans were disappointed when the club denied they were in for Stassin earlier this month.
Some supporters desperately clung on to hope that it might be brinkmanship from West Ham.
Now the Hammers’ hierarchy have responded to the new ambush claims.
The top spokesman for West Ham’s owners has made the situation perfectly clear in a short, sharp statement.
West Ham make Stassin situation perfectly clear once again
“Still not true,” the spokesman for West Ham’s board exclusively told Hammers News.
That may not be what many Hammers fans want to hear.
But perhaps it is for the best.
As promising as Stassin looks, West Ham already have their wildcard young forward signed up in Cummings.
What they need now is a powerful, pacy striker with more than one season under his belt.
Hammers News understands Nice’s Ivory Coast star Guessand remains the number one forward target for Potter and Macaulay.
Other clubs, including Wolves, are sniffing around Guessand.
So West Ham will want to get their house in order soon if they are to give life to what has been a stagnant transfer window so far.