EXCLUSIVE: West Ham open Solanke talks as Moyes targets Bournemouth hitman

Steve Kay

• 8 Mar 2024 08:23 CST
• 4 min read

Exclusive

West Ham United are already making transfer moves ahead of the summer, with Dominic Solanke being targeted by manager David Moyes, FootballTransfers can exclusively reveal.

The Hammers were the leading suitors for the Bournemouth striker during the January transfer window and have already held talks with representatives of the 26-year-old.

A bidding war is expected for Solanke in the summer, with several clubs hovering for the centre-forward, but West Ham have tried to steal a march on their rivals. Arsenal and Liverpool have both been linked with him.

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Moyes has spoken to Solanke’s entourage, FootballTransfers has been informed. The Scotsman held discussions with members of the player’s family following a recent Premier League fixture.

West Ham are prepared to pay the former Chelsea and Liverpool forward £115,000 per week, which is thought to be a significant increase on what he earns at Bournemouth.

Solanke is enjoying a breakout season in the Premier League. He has scored 14 goals in 26 matches, putting him joint-fourth on the top scorer chart along with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen. He had never previously scored more than six in a single Premier League campaign.

READ MORE: Latest West Ham transfer rumours

West Ham to spend big on Solanke

Solanke is open to the move but has a contract with the Cherries until 2027. West Ham would, therefore, have to pay a big fee for his signature.

Bournemouth want to kick negotiations off around the £60 million (€70m) mark, although a fee of £45m (€53m) is likely to be acceptable to the south coast side, with that likely an offer they could not afford to turn down.

Such a price would break West Ham’s transfer record, which stands at €50m, which they spent on Eintracht Frankfurt’s Sebastien Haller in 2019.

Solanke signed a new contract with Andoni Iraola’s side last September, but this is unlikely to impede a deal. FootballTransfers understands that before signing the deal, Solanke agreed with Bournemouth that he could leave in the summer of 2024 should a good bid arrive for him.