West Ham United have set sights on Habib Diallo, but are set to face competition from Premier League rivals Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

According to ESPN, West Ham United are interested in Habib Diallo as David Moyes continues his search for a new centre-forward. The Senegal international is among many on Hammers’ shortlist, as the London club is again looking for a new striker in France. However, they are set to face competition from Brighton & Hove Albion and newly-promoted Premier League side Nottingham Forest.

Finding a striker is difficult for any club, let alone one that aspires to be in the top six. The likes of Manchester City may have had an easy run in bringing in Erling Haaland, but the others are still looking out for their ideal match.

English clubs, in particular, tend to look outside of the Premier League to find solutions and, at times, do find a gem. For instance, Newcastle United have decided to invest heavily in unproven and inexperienced forward Hugo Ekitike, who is set to join them on a five-year deal. However, there are no guarantees whether the youngster will shine at the top level.

West Ham United are looking at a similar prospect from France, although David Moyes is looking for some experience in the new striker. Mohamed Bayo has emerged as a target, although there are other stars seemingly being looked at by the east London outfit.

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One of them is Habib Diallo, the Senegal international who has been in decent form for Strasbourg in the past season. He has a fairly long contract until 2025, which entitles the French club to demand a reasonable fee. However, he will still be a costly option compared to Bayo, who is reportedly available for around €12 million.

West Ham has been interested in Diallo for some time now, and Moyes could consider him a viable deputy for Michail Antonio. They have struggled with only the Jamaican up front for most of the season, and the manager wishes to address the issue by bringing in a new centre-forward.

Diallo has a tally of 11 goals in 31 appearances in Ligue 1 in 2021/22, while he also helped Senegal win the AFCON in January. However, from his perspective, at 26, he is ready to leave France and ply his trade in England, as playing in the Premier League is a dream for the forward.

But West Ham United are set to face serious competition from fellow Premier League sides Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest in the race to sign Diallo. The Seagulls are looking to add more firepower to their frontline with Neal Maupay and Danny Welbeck not delivering consistently, while newly-promoted Nottingham Forest seek to strengthen their attack to improve their chances of survival.

Whether West Ham are serious about their interest in Diallo is a question in itself. However, the Hammers are certainly looking at him as part of a larger group and, soon enough, are expected to approach one of their preferred targets, which could include Diallo. But with increased competition, they must act swiftly if they wish to land him.

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