Irons miss out on £70m striker

By Dave Langton

West Ham have missed out on the signing of Patrick Schick from Bayer Leverkusen after being quoted £70m for the Czech Republic international, C&H can reveal.

The Hammers have been chasing a new striker throughout the transfer window and attempted to bring the Bundesliga star to east London.

Discussions were held with Leverkusen over a potential move to sign Schick but sources have told ClaretandHugh that the club were holding out for a fee of £70m, which meant talks ground to a halt.

Leverkusen, indeed, had no desire to part with one of their star names midway through the season, a common problem when it comes to the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old caught the world’s attention at Euro 2020 by scoring an audacious goal against Scotland from the halfway line, and he has carried that form into this season.

He has scored 18 goals in 17 Bundesliga games, with Leverkusen currently third in the table.

Boss David Moyes remains on the lookout for a new centre-forward before the deadline.