Premier League club West Ham are ready to bring Taiwo Awoniyi back to England, as they have joined in the race to sign the Nigerian striker from Union Berlin this summer.
Having failed to replace Côte d’Ivoire striker Sebastian Haller since his move to Ajax in January 2021, David Moyes side have been left short of options in the centre-forward position this season.
Michail Antonio has carried the burden playing 94%of the club’s total minutes in the Premier League and has made 41 appearances with the Hammers embroiled in the battle for the top four and seeking a place in the Europa League final.
Nagged by persistent injuries over the course of his career, the 32-year-old’s output has suffered considerably due to the continued reliance on his availability with the Jamaica international finding the net only twice in 2022.
The Hammers had a club-record bid to bring in Benfica frontman Darwin Nunez in January turned down.
Following the disappointment of failing to secure the signing of Nunez, West Ham will most likely try again to secure the signing of a striker come the summer transfer window.
And according to BILD’s Christian Falk he revealed on Twitter that West Ham alongside Newcastle and Southampton, are “interested” in signing Awoniyi who has a £16.7m release clause.
West Ham’s interest should not come as a surprise as the 24-year-old is having a remarkable season for Union Berlin whom he joined on a permanent move from Liverpool last summer.
Despite signing in 2015 Awoniyi never donned a Reds jersey and was sent on loan to Holland, Belgium and Germany before finally being let go signing permanently for Union Berlin.
And so far this season he has scored 18 goals and provided four assists in all competitions and has been on target 13 times in 27 Bundesliga appearances.
