West Ham are battling it out with Newcastle United for Mainz striker Jonathan Burkardt, according to reports in Germany.
The rumour has come from German publication Bild, which suggests that a £50m transfer fee would not be out of the question for the Hammers.
At the risk of extinguishing everyone’s fireworks, the suggestion that such a hefty transfer fee is “not out of the question” is preposterous. While Lucas Paquetá is West Ham’s record signing at close to £50m, the club are in no position to pay out large sums of money before they know who is leaving the London Stadium.
Burkardt is in decent form and may be a player going places, but as Claret & Hugh were told today by a club source, “We’ll have to move players on before buying.”
The 24-year-old forward is attracting interest from five clubs, with West Ham facing competition from Brighton, AC Milan, and Eintracht Frankfurt. Certainly, the Seagulls’ interest—if true—contradicts their stance that they want Evan Ferguson back to build a team around him.
Hammers next opponents Newcastle are thought to be leading the race should Alexander Isak leave the Magpies for Arsenal.
Burkardt has been in strong form for Mainz this season, scoring 14 goals and registering three assists in 20 Bundesliga appearances. The forward was believed to be on former director of football Tim Steidten’s list of transfer targets, which is perhaps where this rumour has sprung from.
