Alan Nixon writes in the Sun newspaper that West Ham are leading the race for French striker Serhou Guirassy – and can seal the £20 million deal soon.

He claims the Hammers have been tracking the Amiens forward for months and now his club are willing to trade and strike an agreement shortly.

Amiens fear they will be relegated and are willing to sort out a fee ahead of the summer window, tie up the move and make their own planning for the future.

Officials from the French club were in London last week for meetings and hope to finalise the switch as soon as possible.

Brighton have also been scouting Guirassy and saw him score two and make a couple more in their draw with PSG last weekend.

Spurs are also said to be interested as cover for Harry Kane. However, Guirassy would prefer to be a starter when he comes to the Premier League.

Claret and Hugh say:

This one sounds like an agent led story, especially as intermediary Mark McKay has been linked with putting a deal together. However, it is difficult to see the Hammers sealing a deal upfront when they don’t know which division they are playing in next season and likewise, it seems difficult to believe a young player so desperate to play regularly in the Premier League would want to commit his future to a club that might be playing in the Championship next season.

At 23 year old he is certainly in the age bracket David Moyes wants to recruit but many will be asking whether the manager will keep his job next season.

Guirassy has been one of the top performers for the French side since arriving from Koln in a £5million deal last summer. The striker has scored four goals in 16 Ligue 1 games so far this season and also has one assist.