David Moyes has confirmed that West Ham will be looking to sign a new striker this summer but that they will likely be priced out of a move for Tammy Abraham.
The out-of-favour Chelsea front man had been linked with a move to East London, but his reported £40 million valuation could prove prohibitive.
“It would rule us out completely,” said Moyes, speaking ahead of Monday night’s trip to Burnley. “We don’t have that money; we don’t have that to buy a striker at that price, no.”
West Ham have been in the market for a striker since January, when Sebastian Haller was sold to Ajax, leaving them down to Michail Antonio as their only senior out-and-out centre-forward option.
“We felt [selling Haller] was the right thing to do,” Moyes said, “but if we could have found another striker we would have done it.
“We bid for two or three, but we did not get them because they were not available. But I wasn’t going to get somebody who I felt was going to sit on the bench or maybe not contribute as much as I would have liked.”
The Scot appeared to suggest that the Hammers could be targeting a couple of signings up front. “Yes, certainly one,” he responded when asked about the club’s summer transfer plans.
West Ham’s joint top scorers this season are Tomas Soucek and Jesse Lingard, who are both on nine goals. Antonio, who top scored last season with ten, has struck seven times.
Moyes’ immediate focus will be on trying to secure European football for the Hammers. Last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea saw them lose ground in the race for the top four, but, with five games left to play, they trail fifth-placed Tottenham by just a point with a game in hand.
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