West Ham agree fee with Milan striker Bacca

Daniel Storey

West Ham United’s striker search may finally be over, after the club agreed a fee for Milan forward Carlos Bacca.

West Ham were reportedly interested in Christian Benteke, and also submitted bids for Alexandre Lacazette and Michy Batshuayi.

Attention then turned to Bacca, who scored 18 goals in Serie A last season.

The assumption was that the Colombian was holding out for a move to Spain and potentially Champions League football, but those fears may be allayed.

The son of West Ham owner David Sullivan, who has become the mouthpiece of the club’s transfer window activity, announced that a fee had been agreed on Twitter.

The fee for Bacca is thought to be around £25million, a high price for a 29-year-old.

Yet Slaven Bilic has made no secret of his desire for a new goalscorer, with Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho both likely to be moved on.

“We are proud and glad that he and Havard Nordtveit, the captain of Borussia Moenchengladbach, have signed for us because other big clubs were trying for them.

“Everyone knows we want a top-class striker. And if we can get a 20-goals-a-season man, there’s no reason why we can’t improve on last season and challenge the Premier League’s top teams.”