West Ham United are refusing to give up in their pursuit of Jermain Defoe, despite having an initial offer of £6million for his signature rejected.
Slaven Bilic is determined to land a proven goalscorer during the January transfer window, as he looks to get the Hammers at least into the top-half of the Premier League table. Last term the capital club finished in seventh position, but they have struggled to recapture this form as their new London Stadium home and are currently in 13th spot.
Midfielder Michail Antonio leads their scoring chart with eight league goals to his name, with Manuel Lanzini next in line with just three to his name. Forwards Andy Carroll, Andre Ayew and Diafra Sakho have all endured injury-hit campaigns, whilst Dmitri Payet has not yet hit the heights of last term and Simeone Zaza has yet to find the back of the net.
It has been widely reported that West Ham have set their sights on a move for Defoe, who began his career at the club before making a controversial exit upon their relegation in 2004. He has gone on to be a regular goalscorer for all his subsequent clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur (twice), Portsmouth and current employers Sunderland.
Indeed, Defoe played a huge role in keeping the Black Cats in the Premier League last season when he scored 15 times in 33 outings, and he is also set to play an integral role this time round with 10 to his name already. It is little wonder, then, that David Moyes’ side wasted no time in rejecting an offer of £6million from the Hammers for the 34-year-old.
Despite this, Sky Sports claim Bilic is refusing to give up the hunt for the former England international, and is now weighing up a renewed offer. And Sam Allardyce, who managed Defoe at Sunderland last season, wants his former charge at Crystal Palace, but the Black Cats are sure to do all they can to retain the services of their key player.
