Boulaye Dia could be West Ham’s next Michail Antonio | OneFootball

West Ham United could revisit one of their January targets in a bid to bolster David Moyes’ frontline this summer…

What’s the word?

According to ActuSport (via Arena Napoli), the Irons are willing to bring the Reims striker to the Premier League but they face competition from Serie A duo Napoli and Fiorentina.

At the turn of the year, Sky Sports reported that Dia was being targeted as a possible replacement for Sebastian Haller, who left for Ajax and is a player to whom the Hammers are yet to find a viable successor.

The 24-year-old forward is allowed to leave the Ligue 1 outfit this summer, as revealed by club president Jean-Pierre Caillot to Canal Plus. It is thought that €15m (£13m) would be enough to secure his signature.

Antonio 2.0?

A new signing in the striker department must be paramount to West Ham’s plans this summer and given that their target man experiment with Haller failed so dismally, they could do no harm in finding a like-for-like forward to play second fiddle to Michail Antonio.

In Dia, they could well be getting an exact prototype. The Senegal international is powerful, has explosive pace and can be a real nuisance for the opposition’s defence – very much like the 31-year-old is for Moyes in the Premier League.

He has enjoyed an impressive campaign for Reims this term, scoring 16 times in 36 domestic appearances, via Transfermarkt, which is seven more than any player at the London Stadium right now.

Former Irons forward Marlon Harewood backed the club to sign him in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast back in January, claiming that he could be “another Antonio.”

He added: “That’s the sort of player that West Ham need upfront, to help him out by playing both of them or when Antonio’s not playing, he’s the same type of player that West Ham need running the frontline.”

Indeed, the 5 foot 11 dynamo is no towering presence up top and is the same height as Antonio. He has averaged 1.4 dribbles and 1.7 shots per game in Ligue 1 this campaign, via WhoScored, which isn’t too far away from the West Ham star’s 1.6 dribbles and 2.4 shots per match, especially considering he’s the one playing in the better team.

Ligue 1’s official website adds further weight to the argument, claiming that Dia is very direct and likes to play off the shoulder of the defender. Again, that’s just like Antonio.

For just £13m, Sullivan and co could land Moyes an absolute bargain and an ideal solution to their striking problems.

AND in other news, Sullivan must seal West Ham swoop for “silky” 10-goal “genius” who’s shades of Payet…