West Ham United are prepared to pay as much as £20million for Olivier Giroud and make him the most expensive player in their history.
Despite only signing a new contract at Arsenal last year, the France international faces an uncertain future at the Emirates Stadium as Arsene Wenger looks to bounce back from a disappointing campaign. Despite winning the FA Cup for a third time in four years, the Gunners finished outside the top-four in the Premier League for the first time since 1995-96.
Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette is expected to be added to Wenger’s squad for a club record £49million, a fee which would be bettered again if they are able to prise Kylian Mbappe from Monaco for what would be at least twice as much. Either signing would relegate Giroud further down the pecking order, even if Alexis Sanchez was to leave the club this summer.
It is no secret that Lyon are keen to replace Lacazette with the Arsenal forward, but reports in The Telegraph claim they will face stiff competition from West Ham. Slaven Bilic is said to be prepared to pay at least £20million for the 30-year-old, who could expect to match or even better his current salary of £120,000-per-week by accepting a move to the Olympic Stadium.
The Hammers finished a disappointing 11th in the Premier League last season, as they struggled to settle at their new home stadium. Bilic will expect them to fare much better this time round, and he has begun adding strength to his options by taking defender Pablo Zabaleta on a free transfer following the expiry of his Manchester City contract. The Argentine could also be joined in the capital by his former Etihad Stadium team-mate Joe Hart, if the Blues allow him to leave in another loan deal.
