According to Daily Mail, West Ham United have been linked with a move for Porto striker Moussa Marega. The Malian forward has been identified as a top target in the wake of West Ham’s recent crisis in the offensive department.
The Hammers were dealt with a huge blow earlier this summer as star striker Andy Carroll suffered an ankle injury. The English forward has been ruled out for the first two months of the season. As a result, the newly appointed Manuel Pellegrini is keen on the arrival of a new striker.
Marega, in that regard, has been identified as the ideal candidate given his impressive goalscoring record in the Portuguese league.
Known for his lethal finishing in front of goal, Marega initially joined Porto back in 2016. But, following a relatively slow start to his career at Estadio do Dragao, Marega was shipped off to Vitoria Guimaraes, where he scored 13 goals in just 25 appearances. His impressive performances in the corresponding season helped him redeem himself in the eyes of his parent club(!)
Indeed! The 27-year-old notched up 23 goals last season, helping Porto lift the Liga NOS title. But, it appears as if the Dragoes could now find it difficult to keep hold of their star striker.
It is believed that the Malian striker could soon move to the Premier League despite having a two-year contract with the Portuguese giants. In fact, he is working with agent Mark McKay, who has strong ties with West Ham United, notably helping them sign Dimitri Payet a few years ago.
Therefore, the Londoners are definitely in pole position to sign the 27-year-old marksman, who can prove to be an asset for the team. The Hammers have already been quite active in the transfer market, having signed the likes of Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere amongst many others.
However, as iterated earlier, Pellegrini’s men do lack depth when it comes to their goalscoring department having lost the services of Andy Carroll even before the start of the new season. As a result, the former Man City boss will only have Javier Hernandez and Jordan Hugill as his only reliable options in front of goal, although Marko Arnautovic can also play in that position.
Thus, the addition of a quality striker like Moussa Marega will certainly make sense as far as West Ham are concerned. The forward bags a lot of promise and also has the right attributes that could potentially help him thrive in the English top flight.
Stat courtesy: Transfermarkt
