West Ham United have reportedly joined the race for Sassuolo’s £25 million-rated striking powerhouse Gianluca Scamacca.
According to The Sun, West Ham United are desperate to brink a top-tier striker to the London Stadium and have amped their pursuit to sign highly-rated Sassuolo attacker Gianluca Scamacca during the upcoming summer transfer window.
A former AS Roma academy player, the 23-year-old striker joined Sassuolo from PSV in early 2017. However, things did not turn out too well initially, and it was only after loan experiences at Cremonese, Zwolle, Ascoli, and Genoa that he began to fulfil his potential with the Neroverdi. As such, he found his Serie A breakthrough only last season at Genoa, scoring eight goals in 26 appearances in the process.
And Scamacca has taken that form into the 2021/22 season, this time leading the line for Sassuolo while being a revelation. Indeed, his tally of 16 goals from 35 appearances is impressive, but it is his versatility, sharp movement and ability to bring others into play that is garnering such massive interest from top European clubs.
Scamacca’s performances led to a call-up to Roberto Mancini’s Italian national squad this season, and he has won three caps and looks set to take the next step in his career. So it comes as little surprise that clubs are keeping a close eye on Scamacca ahead of the summer transfer window.
Napoli are understood to be leading the race for his signature as they view the 23-year-old as a potential replacement for Victor Osimhen, who has been linked with a move away, while both Milan clubs are also interested in the well-rounded striker. Outside of Italy, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham represent Premier League interest. Now, West Ham are ready to step up their efforts to secure the Italian international’s services.
After failing to acquire a striker in January, West Ham appear to have turned their attention to the Sassuolo forward, as David Moyes looks to bolster his strike-force ahead of the 2022/23 season. A host of strikers have been linked with the Hammers ever since they sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax way back in January 2021, and Scamacca seems to be the latest one to pop up in the rumour mill.
Signing someone of Scamacca’s calibre would be a huge coup for West Ham. Standing at 6ft 5in tall, he physically towers over defenders but also possesses exceptional technique and a ferocious shot to be a menace in the opposition box. The Sassuolo marksman is a complete package and ticks all the boxes in terms of what Moyes demands from his striker: he is young, strong, works hard and has a decent turn of pace.
That said, the 23-year-old has recently renewed his contract at the Mapei Stadium through to June 2026, which puts Sassuolo in a strong position in potential transfer negotiations. The reports also add that West Ham will not push the envelope should other suitors like Newcastle United increase the player’s £25 million base price in a bidding war.
To that end, Scamacca is not the only striker West Ham targeted in Serie A, with Moyes also hunting for strikers that are flying under the radar yet have a lot of experience, namely Torino’s soon-to-be-free agent Andrea Belotti, whose pursuit has its own upsides.
