WHU can land dream signing as GSB plot fresh bid for £17m ace dubbed "the next Mbappe" - opinion

West Ham United are once again interested in a deal to bring Hugo Ekitike to the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that, after failing with a bid for the Stade Reims centre-forward in January, West Ham remain interested in a move for the 19-year-old at the end of the current campaign.

The report goes on to state that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Arsenal are also keeping a close eye on the situation of the France U21 international – for whom the Ligue 1 side are believed to be demanding a figure in the region of €20m (£17m) in order to part with this summer.

Considering just how much potential Ekitike quite clearly possesses, in addition to the fact that David Moyes is in rather desperate need of a new centre-forward this summer, the argument that the teenager would be something of a dream signing for West Ham is a rather easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 21 Ligue 1 appearances this season, the £18m-rated forward has been in sensational form for Reims, bagging nine goals, registering three assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.3 shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the striker who Graeme Bailey dubbed an “outstanding talent” – as well as claiming that “many in France believe he could be the next Mbappe” – average an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.88, ranking him as Oscar Garcia’s 10th-best player in the top flight of French football.

As such, with Moyes currently only having the option of the 32-year-old Michail Antonio up top – a player who has suffered terribly with injuries in