It’s no secret that West Ham United need a striker, and according to the Portuguese outlet O Jogo, the Irons are circling SC Braga’s red-hot Simon Banza.
The 27-year-old could’ve played his last game for Braga after their 1-0 defeat to Porto on the final day, and that plays into our hands ahead of a potential move to London Stadium.
Braga are looking to shake things up this summer, but they need cash to do it, and Banza seems like the prime candidate to generate a considerable transfer fee.
He was a goalscoring machine for Braga last season, netting 21 goals in 28 league games. The only one who netted more times was Swedish striker Gyokeres, who fired Sporting CP to the title with 29 goals.
Banza went a bit cold towards the end of the season, failing to find the net in his last seven games, but that doesn’t erase his impressive firepower.
Apparently, West Ham aren’t the only one after him this summer, but whispers are saying we’re at the front of the queue.
His contract with Braga runs for another three years and has a €40 million release clause, but the Portuguese outfit will consider bids of around €25m if reports are to be believed.
West Ham need to close a deal for Banza quickly
Banza is very highly rated in Portugal, and for that price, we should be looking to get a deal over the line as soon as possible, considering the current over-inflated market.
We’ve had our eye on the Democratic Republic of Congo international for a while now, and rumour has it we’re finally ready to launch a bid.
But we need to act fast because competition for his signature is fierce.
A striker is very much our priority this summer. Michail Antonio isn’t getting any younger and is expected to leave the club this summer.
Jarrod Bowen did a decent job filling in at times with his 16 goals in 34 games, but we need a true number nine if we want to challenge for Europe next season. Banza seems to fit the bill perfectly.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com