Hammers wait on Bilic’s thumbs up
Having arrived at an upfront figure of £9 million for the Bees striker, the club are edging towards a deal although his injury record remains a worry.
More importantly, however, is getting Slaven Bilic’s final approval on the 24 year old who has scored 14 goals in 26 appearances this season.
Tony Henry has regularly scouted the player and is reported keen on the player but Bilic continues to keep his options open and has yet to give the final thumbs up as other targets remain in the frame.
The manager is a big admirer of Jermain Defoe and won’t rush into any decision until he has assessed all his options.
The club would not have reached this point had Brentford stuck to their original asking price of £15 million but have beaten the Bees down to £9 million plus extras citing his previous injury problems and knee surgery in talks.
Just as was the case with Michail Antonio, shortly after his arrival as boss, nothing can happen until the manager gives a thumbs-up or down.