- The Ivorian has had an excellent first half of the season with nine goals
- West Ham scouted the striker several times in November and December
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West Ham have been keeping a close eye on Nice’s Evann Guessand as they step up their search for a striker mid-season.
They scouted him several times in November and December before injuries to Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug, and he remains prominent on the options list.
Guessand, a French-born international from Ivory Coast, has had an excellent first half of the season with nine goals, including three in his last four games.
French sports newspaper L’Equipe selected him in their team of the season so far.
However, it will not be easy to get him away from Nice mid-season. They are challenging for the Champions League places and he is the team’s best striker.
The 23-year-old signed a new long-term contract in August tying him to the club until 2028, although an offer in excess of £20million would test the solution.
West Ham are keeping tabs on Nice’s Evann Guessand as they intensify their search for a striker
The Hammers scouted the Ivorian striker (centre) several times in November and December
Summer signing Niclas Fullkrug has been ruled out for months due to a hamstring injury
Bournemouth and Tottenham have also shown interest in Guessand as they look to improve their forward options in January.
“It’s fair to say it’s an important one,” said West Ham boss Graham Potter of Fullkrug. ‘When a player stops like that, you know something quite serious has happened.
‘It’s still early in terms of a full diagnosis, but a significant one nonetheless, a number of weeks. Months? A few weeks is probably months, yes. So yes, I would say that.
‘Crysencio felt something after about 45 minutes and finished the first half, but probably not at 100 percent. It’s a matter of doing it, but at the moment it’s probably straying towards the negative, but we’ll see.’