West Ham are pushing to sign Armando Broja on a permanent deal worth over £30million after the striker asked to leave Chelsea.
Broja has been David Moyes’ No1 centre-forward target all summer and the Hammers have tabled a bid to take him to east London.
It has been suggested that Chelsea would prefer to sanction a second loan spell, after the Albania international impressed at Southampton last term, in order to give Thomas Tuchel more time to assess his forward options.
While West Ham are open to that possibility, their preference remains to do a permanent deal for the 20-year-old with an increased offer in the works topping £30m plus add-ons.
Broja would also prefer a permanent exit and has made clear his desire to move on despite Thomas Tuchel insisting the player was not for sale only days ago.
Broja was initially left out of Chelsea’s squad for their trip to the States amid transfer speculation but flew out to join his teammates last week.
However, he did not feature in the friendly against Club America in Las Vegas on Saturday and is now heading back to the UK to resolve his future, with Newcastle and Everton also still interested.
The Hammers are understood to be leading the race for Broja’s signature with an agreement on personal terms almost struck.
West Ham also remain in talks with Sassuolo over a move for Italy international Gianluca Scamacca. It is unlikely that both strikers will arrive at the London Stadium, though West Ham have not ruled out that possibility should Chelsea decide Broja will only be allowed to leave on loan.
