David Moyes can land his next Marko Arnautovic by launching a bid to bring Besiktas striker Cyle Larin to West Ham United in the summer transfer window.
What’s the word?
According to Sabah, the Hammers are preparing to revisit Vodafone Park at the end of the season after seeing an offer for Larin turned down during the recent winter market.
It is thought that the Irons presented a €10m (£8.5m) bid for the 25-year-old amid their search for Sebastien Haller’s replacement, but were denied as Larin wished to remain with the Black Eagles until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Larin will look to secure a move away from the Super Lig once the season draws to a close, with Sergen Yalcin’s side currently second in the standings on goal difference to leaders and Istanbul-based rivals Galatasaray.
Besiktas are not planning on standing in Larin’s way by demanding a vast sum for their Canada international, who has 13 goals and three assists in 25 top-flight outings this term, with club President Ahmet Nur Cebi expected to request just €15m (£13m) to strike a deal.
But West Ham may not be alone this summer in pursuing the 31-cap forward, regarded as one of the Black Eagles’ greatest weapons, as West Bromwich Albion are also noted to have submitted an important offer during the winter market.
Should West Ham sign Larin?
West Ham will have to hit the market in the summer striving to sign a new striker to fill the void left by Haller joining AFC Ajax, and landing Larin could see the London Stadium natives hand Moyes a versatile and lethal weapon.
The Ontario-born attacker has found the back of the net across the Besiktas front line this season, with five goals and two assists from 15 outings on the left-wing, six goals and one assist in five games from the right-flank and two goals in five games when played centrally.
His ability to offer the final touch from any forward role, along with his stature at 6 ft 2, could see Larin prove to be Moyes’ next Arnautovic, after the Scottish coach hinted in December that he would like to find another option of the Austrian’s calibre.
Moyes also managed to get the best out of Arnautovic once he moved the forward into a central role at West Ham, and given the backing to cause opponents issues at a time when supporters were not clamouring over their former club-record £20m signing.
“He was always someone who you knew had the ability to go past you. But it was always not that often and it was maybe when he wanted to at different times. But I think when he became more of a central striker, he flourished in it,” Moyes said on BBC 5 Live Sport back in January 2019.
“There was a period, when I took over, the supporters at West Ham weren’t having Marko at all. He was a big signing, spent big money on him. He’s got that in him. He’s been at big clubs himself, Marko. But it was simply to say: ‘Nobody’s liking you at the moment, why don’t you run about, Marko? And people will maybe change their mind.’
“He’s got real power and pace, he can receive the ball, he can beat people. He could easily play for Chelsea because of the way he can take the ball and his link-up. He actually fancies himself as a player, he thinks he’s a big-time player.”
Larin could offer West Ham a similar attacking threat to 6 ft 2 Arnautovic if signed and at just £13m, he could prove to be a bargain.
AND in other news, West Ham are monitoring an “outstanding” £18.5m titan praised by Jurgen Klopp…