EXCLUSIVE: West Ham make contact with Napoli over possible striker transfer

Steve Kay

• Updated: 28 Nov 2024 09:06 CST
• 5 min read

Exclusive

West Ham have reached out to Serie A club Napoli over a possible deal for Giovanni Simeone in the January transfer window, FootballTransfers has been told.

Sources inform us that the Hammers are actively exploring attacking reinforcements due to ongoing fitness concerns around Niclas Fullkrug, their summer signing from Borussia Dortmund, and the inconsistent form of 34-year-old Michail Antonio.

Alongside Simeone, the club is also considering a move for Brighton Evan Ferguson, who was recently made available for a loan.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals

The 29-year-old Argentine is the son of legendary Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone. Currently playing for Napoli, the forward has scored 97 goals in 350 matches, with a standout 17-goal season for Hellas Verona in 2021/22.

Even though he is not a prolific goal-scorer, his experience and spatial awareness has piqued the interest of the West Ham hierarchy, we are told.

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A post shared by Gio Simeone (@simeonegiovanni)

Simeon's preparation

Last year, the veteran attacker spoke about his meticulous planning for scoring goals, telling Sky Sports: "I study the goalkeepers a lot now because it is important for forwards to know the behaviour of goalkeepers when they shoot.

"I need to know their movements. I study that a lot, really in depth so that when I am on the pitch, I know when and where to shoot.

Current ETV

Giovanni Simeone

F (C)

Napoli

Giovanni Simeone

F (C)

Napoli

€5.7M

ETV Range

€4.3M - €7.1M

View full profile

"It is all in my notebook. Before every game I write down the names of the players. I write out my visualisations for different scenarios. And I write about the goalkeeper. What is the best thing that I can do against that goalkeeper? Then I visualise that shot."

On Monday, West Ham delivered a superb away performance in the Premier League, with goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a 2-0 win over Newcastle.

Julen Lopetegui was facing pressure after a torrid start tot he season, but the win will serve as a huge confidence boost going forward.