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West Ham are said to be interested in an in-form goalscorer as they continue their search for a striker.
West Ham are said to be interested in a move for a 24-year-old striker who is on the up and up. The Hammers need another striker this summer having been left short up top this season due to injury issues for Niclas Fullkrug and Michail Antonio.
Antonio may not be back any time soon, while Danny Ings is likely to be allowed to leave the club this summer. West Ham know they need to improve their squad in a number of areas, and striker is clearly one of them, with Graham Potter unlikely to sign Evan Ferguson permanently.
According to CaughtOffside, the Irons are ‘very keen’ on signing Lyon striker Georges Mikautadze, who has scored eight times in 27 league appearances since arriving at Lyon last summer.
Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca said of the forward’s form recently: "Georges is in great form at the moment. He played well for the national team and came back motivated. We've worked to get him in the best possible condition, and we need to continue this good momentum for him. We have attackers with different profiles to adapt to the matches. Alexandre Lacazette played well last match, Georges has other qualities. He's an asset for me.”
Mikautadze is still only 24 years of age, but he hasn’t had it easy during his career, struggling during a spell with Ajax before finding his feet again on loan with Metz, returning to the club he had initially impressed with. The forward said to L’Équipe during that loan spell: “Since I was loaned, I haven’t had any news. At Ajax, they’ve forgotten about me.
“I spent two months in a hotel. I was alone in my room, I was going mad! The club didn’t really help me find an apartment. In the Autumn, I found an Airbnb and all my family came to live with me for a month. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t speak the language. The conditions weren’t created to allow me to succeed. All players need to feel comfortable in their skin and feel respected in order to perform. I was disappointed,”
Meanwhile, then Metz boss Laszlo Boloni said: “He lost quite a bit of his honour at Ajax. Now, he’s rediscovering his wellbeing. For the whole team, when you have a goalscorer, it’s the most joyous thing. Mikautadze isn’t Kylian Mbappé but he’s FC Metz’s Mbappé!”
Metz wound up buying Mikautadze on a permanent deal before immediately selling him back to Lyon where he had been as a youngster. The forward has only kicked on further since then, while he has also impressed at international level, scoring 20 times in 37 games for Georgia.
Naturally, the 24-year-old is under a long-term contract until Lyon having only arrived last year. He is valued at £16.7million by Transfermarkt, but Lyon are likely to demand more should West Ham come knocking, given the forward’s importance to Fonseca’s plans. He has made 38 appearances across all competitions so far, scoring 14 times and providing eight assists.
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