Earlier this month, West Ham saw their pursuit of Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri hit the rocks as the La Liga club attempted to price the Hammers out of a move.
After reportedly rejecting an opening offer from the Irons, Los Palanganas manager Julen Lopetegui dismissed the speculation as ‘not real, or true’ before the striker hit a hat-trick against Cadiz over the weekend.
The Moroccan’s agent Anass Ouzifi has told ABC Sevilla about West Ham’s failed and ongoing efforts to sign the 23-year-old, who leads the way in the La Liga scoring charts. En-Nesyri’s representative explained:
“A few days ago a Premier club called me again, an important team. They asked me what was Youssef’s situation. I told them directly that it didn’t matter, that Youssef didn’t want to leave Sevilla, that he wouldn’t. They insisted and told me if they could offer something. I explained the situation well to them.”
“Youssef is very happy in Seville, very grateful to the club and his teammates; feels the affection of the fans. He’s happy. He is 23 years old. Why would you want to leave? Not everything is money in life.”
David Moyes could be forced to switch his attention elsewhere after this latest update, with the in-form frontman with 16 goals this term seemingly nonplussed on the prospect of a move to east London.
This is perhaps the firmest kiboshing of the speculation we have heard so far, albeit the player’s representative stops just shirt of naming West Ham outright.
Whilst El-Neysri would have represented a superb acquisition for the Irons, the finances involved in the current climate would have been swarming with risk – a risk which has left the Hammers with egg on their face on more than one occasion in the past.
With plenty of centre-forward targets in the mix, it shouldn’t take Moyes long to get over the setback of missing out on the Sevilla star. Signing a short-term solution with scope for a summer rethink is perhaps the shrewdest move.