West Ham, the English Premier League outfit, is poised to seize an opportunity to secure the signature of Nigerian forward, Victor Boniface, as Bayer Leverkusen plans to offload a striker during the summer transfer window.
As per German outlet Kicker, Leverkusen is gearing up to part ways with one of their strikers in the upcoming summer window, aiming to utilize the funds to acquire Stuttgart’s Chris Fuhrich and Hoffenheim’s emerging German talent, Maximilian Beier.
Reportedly, Leverkusen intends to spend approximately £50m to secure both Fuhrich and Beier, a move that could prompt the Bundesliga leaders to consider selling Boniface.
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Among the Leverkusen squad members, Boniface is one of the few players who could command such a fee, alongside Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, whom the club currently deems unsellable.
Boniface, who commenced the season as the club’s primary striker alongside Patrik Schick, has seen his value escalate from €20m upon his arrival to €40m presently, owing to his impressive tally of 16 goals and eight assists.
However, an injury setback during his stint with the Super Eagles camp ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast sidelined the Nigerian international for two months. Although he has resumed full training, he is yet to make a competitive appearance.
In Boniface’s absence, Schick has taken the helm, with his goals steering Leverkusen to maintain an undefeated streak both domestically and in Europe.
Reportedly, West Ham United has identified Boniface as a key target to bolster their squad for the upcoming season, particularly in the center-forward position, with winger Jarrod Bowen emerging as their leading scorer with 14 goals across all competitions this season.
West Ham’s technical director, Tim Steidte, is reportedly spearheading negotiations for the acquisition of the 23-year-old striker, who has made waves in his debut Bundesliga season.
According to Sky in Germany, Leverkusen is keen on retaining Boniface but is open to discussions with interested clubs if offers exceeding €55m are tabled this summer.
This implies that West Ham might have to surpass their record fee of €52m paid for Ivory Coast international Sebastien Haller in July 2019 to secure Boniface’s services.
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