Ajax have had a bid accepted for Sebastien Haller which is worth less than half the £45m West Ham paid Eintracht Frankfurt for the forward in the summer of 2019; player has been given permission to discuss personal terms and have medical; Ajax want him to play against PSV on Sunday
Friday 8 January 2021 09:21, UK
West Ham have agreed to sell striker Sebastien Haller to Ajax for £20m.
The Dutch champions' offer is worth less than half the £45m West Ham paid Eintracht Frankfurt for the 26-year-old forward in the summer of 2019.
Haller, capped twice by the Ivory Coast, has scored just 10 goals in 48 Premier League games for West Ham and has now been cleared to discuss personal terms and have a medical with the Eredivisie club.
Ajax hope he will be able to play against PSV on Sunday.
Despite his struggles in east London, Haller scored arguably a Goal of the Season contender with his outrageous overhead kick against Crystal Palace last month, in what was his third league goal of the season.
Even then, his manager David Moyes appeared to want more from his striker.
"I'd have liked him to get a tap-in in the first half when the goalie parried one out, when nobody was on it to get the rebound!" Moyes said after the draw with Palace on December 16.
"I might surprise you by saying I wasn't that surprised, Seb has an incredible ability to get his leg up really high and score goals like that. It's the tap ins I want him to score as well.
"We need him to be a big part, we needed somebody to come up with the goods. We looked for large parts of the game we were huffing and puffing but didn't look like we'd get anything.
"He's been trying to settle, it takes time. Sometimes they are too big, we expect a lot from him as well. We want his goals in the Premier League, not just cup games."
West Ham have previously been linked with Bournemouth striker Joshua King, seeing a £13m bid rejected by the Sky Bet Championship club in October, and he is one player they may look to revive their interest in should Haller leave.
"He's not told me he's desperate to go to West Ham," Cherries boss Jason Tindall told the Bournemouth Daily Echo last week when quizzed on new rumours King was plotting a move to the London Stadium in this window.
It has been a busy window so far for West Ham, who have been offered the chance to sign former Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen from Inter Milan and the opportunity to re-sign Marko Arnautovic from Shanghai SIPG.
The Hammers, who find themselves 10th in the Premier League after 17 games following their recent win over Everton, are also in advanced talks with West Brom over a deal to sell Robert Snodgrass.
Analysis from SSN's Kaveh Solhekol:
"Haller is very close to joining Ajax. A £20m fee has been agreed, which is less than half the club-record £45m they paid for him 18 months ago.
"So why are they willing to sell him? The short answer is, he is not the right player for David Moyes and West Ham. Moyes wants a striker who can play up front on his own, somebody who will bust his gut for the club for 95 minutes every single game. And Haller is not that type of player.
"He had that incredible season at Frankfurt where he scored a lot of goals, but he was playing up front with Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic and he needs other forwards around him.
"That is not the way Moyes plays, so it is a good move for West Ham and Haller. Moyes thinks he can do better and take that money they are getting for selling Haller - although it will be paid in instalments - and bring in a striker who is better suited to the way he wants to play and who can provide support for Michail Antonio."
The winter transfer window is open until Monday, February 1 at 11pm.
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