West Ham to beat Everton in striker pursuit as £15m agreement reached and announcement close (original) (raw)

West Ham are on the verge of signing striker Danny Ings from Aston Villa after reaching an agreement for him, in a move which would see Everton miss out.

Ings had a successful spell at Southampton between 2018 and 2021, scoring 46 goals in 100 games for the club. He was then snapped up by Villa as they paid Southampton £25million for him.

Ings has not had the same impact at Villa Park, finding the back of the net 14 times in 52 matches. However, he has done well in recent months, bagging Premier League braces against Brentford and Brighton, plus scoring in the 1-1 draw with Wolves on January 4.

It is unclear whether the Englishman is an important part of Unai Emery’s plans for Villa going forward. But rumours of a transfer to West Ham suggest the new Villa boss is happy for him to go.

West Ham began talks with Villa for Ings on Thursday morning. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, they began the bidding at £12m.

However, Villa knocked back this proposal as it did not meet their demands. West Ham have since come back with an improved offer worth £15m and this has been accepted, as per Sky Sports.

There is now an agreement in place for Ings to join West Ham and personal terms are on the verge of being completed. Once this stage has been reached, Ings will complete a Hammers medical and then sign the necessary paperwork.

Sky Sports claim an announcement of the transfer will follow shortly, potentially as early as Thursday afternoon.

Everton lose out on attacker to West Ham

West Ham landing Ings would see Everton miss out on the three-time England international. Frank Lampard had set his sights on Ings as a potential solution to his striker problem, with Everton having scored just 15 goals in 19 Premier League games.

But West Ham have pounced and it seems they have beaten Everton to the punch. Ings will bolster David Moyes’ forward ranks, with West Ham also struggling to score goals.

Between them, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio have scored five Prem goals this campaign, which is less than Ings’ six. So it is clear to see why Moyes wants to take the former Liverpool man to the London Stadium.

Meanwhile, a surprising former Liverpool boss or a Tottenham flop may replace Moyes at West Ham, according to reports.