According to Sky Sports, West Ham United are the new frontrunners to sign in demand KAS Eupen forward Henry Onyekuru this summer.
The 20-year-old is being targeted by seven Premier League clubs after an outstanding season for the Belgian outfit, and Arsenal were previously said to have been leading the chase for the Nigerian.
However, it is now suggested that the attacker – who has a release clause that means he is available for just £7.85m with wages of £35,000-a-week – will travel to England for talks with the interested sides on Monday, but that the Irons are the favourites to win the race for his signature.
It would represent quite the coup for the Hammers having suffered the disappointment of losing Dimitri Payet – who was such an important and creative player for them – to Marseille during the January transfer window.
Here are three reasons Onyekuru can be more influential than Payet for West Ham…
Goalscoring
While Payet was known for being able to score a goal – he netted nine in the Premier League last season and two in 18 appearances in the first half of the 2016/17 campaign – he could be easily outdone by Onyekuru if the 20-year-old moves to the London Stadium.
The Nigerian forward scored 24 goals in 41 appearances for Eupen this term and that is very impressive considering the majority of those came from the left wing.
If he can bring that sort of form to England, he will be a huge hit among the supporters.
His style of play
For a long time now – and perhaps aside from Michail Antonio in the current team – West Ham have lacked that pace throughout side and players that run at and commit defenders.
The arrival of Onyekuru would certainly change that as he loves to dribble and he has proved this season that he has the end product to match.
While Payet clearly had great ability and was a player that was brilliant on the ball, the 20-year-old certainly has the potential to get more supporters off of their seats.
Mentality
When Payet first came to West Ham and during his spell with the Irons, he knew that he was the main man in the team and perhaps that ego took over at points – especially towards the end of his time at the London Stadium.
It will be a complete different story if Onyekuru arrives as he knows he isn’t yet the finished article, and that means that he should have a closer relationship with the supporters.
If the 20-year-old signs a long-term deal, he can prove to be more influential than his French predecessor.
Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.