West Ham United have reportedly set their sights on a new centre-forward in the January transfer window.
TEAMtalk has published a transfer report looking at several players the Hammers are looking at ahead of the window opening.
Although Hugo Ekitike’s name features prominently in the report, there are other strikers who have apparently caught West Ham’s eye.
One of those is Karim Konate, who plies his trade for Red Bull Salzburg and is also an Ivory Coast senior international.
Alongside Ekitike and Konate, the likes of Victor Boniface, Serhou Guirassy and Adam Hlozek are among transfer candidates if the West Ham recruitment team proceed with a new signing.
West Ham target Karim Konate – factfile
Konate joined Salzburg from Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas in the summer of 2022. The Austrians reportedly paid £3million for the teenager’s signature.
The striker enjoyed a fruitful loan stint at FC Liefering in the first half of the season, registering 15 goals and three assists from 18 outings.
Konate returned to Salzburg and has become prolific for them too, with 13 goals and seven assists to his name from 30 outings.
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This season, the eight-cap Ivory Coast ace has 10 goals and six assists from 21 outings in all competitions for his club.
Deolu Akingbade of scouting outlet Breaking the Lines sung the reported West Ham target’s praises in an in-depth article earlier this year.
‘Providing the physicality of Sebastian Haller, the dribbling of Jeremie Boga, and the finishing of Wilfried Zaha, Konate is the complete package,’ he wrote.
‘There’s a reason he’s drawn comparisons to Erling Haaland, who also played for Salzburg. And there’s a reason why he’s leading both FC Liefering and the Salzburg youth team in goals scored; he’s really good.’
Konate looks like a top talent and it’s no surprise that West Ham are keeping tabs. However, the race for his signature could get competitive, with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham reportedly also in pursuit.