are pushing hard to complete the signing of star Mohammed Kudus, hoping to conclude a deal without beating them to his signature.
The 23-year-old has not only attracted the attention of the Hammers and the Blues, but Arsenal have also been linked and Brighton were thought to be close to signing him but a deal fell through.
West Ham now appear to be leading the race for the Ghana international, with technical director Tim Steidten in Amsterdam on Thursday to continue talks.
reports that ‘confidence is growing that a deal for Kudus will go ahead’ and the fee is likely to be around £40m.
It would be the second bit of business West Ham have done with the Dutch club this summer after bringing in Edson Alvarez for £32m earlier in the transfer window.
reports that there are still fears that Chelsea could come in with a late bid and gazump the move for the Ghanaian, but clearly Steidten is hoping to get the deal done as soon as possible.
There is still expeted to be a fair amount of business to come at West Ham before the end of the transfer window, with Manchester City persuing a big-money move for Lucas Pacqueta and likely to get their man.
Kudus would be seen as a replacement for the Brazilian, while the Hammers also want a centre-back and a striker before the transfer window closes.
They are working on a deal for Stuttgart defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, while up front they are interested in Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson, Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun and Montpellier’s Elye Wahi.
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