Joel Piroe or Troy Parrott to West Ham? Everything we know right now | OneFootball

FLW details the situation regarding the Hammers’ pursuit for a new striker.

West Ham United remain keen on bolstering their forward line as they chase immediate promotion back to the Premier League.

The Hammers were stung by a late comeback by Burnley on the opening weekend of their second tier return, as goals from Max Kilman and debutant Manor Solomon looked to have put Nuno Espirito Santos’ men on course for a first victory of the new campaign.

But West Ham slumped in the last 10 minutes, as a brace from Zian Flemming sent Turf Moor into raptures and ensured the spoils were shared on a mightily frustrating start for the league title favourites.

While it is only the first game, there will be concern that the Hammers are continuing to throw points away from leading positions, with the defence needing to tighten up if they are to win enough games to secure automatic promotion.

Meanwhile, with the summer transfer window remaining open for just over another two weeks, it gives West Ham time to add to their ranks and ensure they have enough quality to be positioned towards the top end of the standings after 46 games.

A striker appears to be the priority, with the Hammers linked with moves for both Leeds United’s Joel Piroe and AZ Alkmaar’s Troy Parrott.

And at FLW, we provide the latest updates on West Ham’s pursuit of the duo.

West Ham’s chase of Troy Parrott

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Irish striker Troy Parrott has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham in recent weeks, with the London outfit reportedly preparing to break the Championship transfer record fee to bring the 24-year-old back to London, although he has other interest from Fulham, Ajax, PSV, Real Betis and Como.

Parrott has excelled ever since his switch to the Netherlands, notching 51 goals and 16 assists in 97 appearances for AZ Alkmaar across all competitions, so it’s clear to see why he’s a forward in demand.

It was reported last week by Voetbal International that the Eredivisie side had turned down an opening bid from the Hammers for Parrott, with the club believed to be seeking between €18m and €20m (£15.4m and £17.1m).

But after weeks of negotiations, it appears now that Parrott’s proposed move to West Ham has fallen through.

Again, according to Joost Blaauwhof of Voetbal International, West Ham have decided to accept defeat and call the deal off, moving onto other targets as the 1st September deadline for the summer transfer window continues to tick down.

Now that West Ham have pivoted away from attempting to sign Troy Parrott, they have moved on to another target in the form of Leeds United frontman Joel Piroe.

According to Dutch journalist Rik Elfrink, via a post on his X account, West Ham have made an offer of £15 million to Leeds United for the Dutchman, which was also covered here at FLW.

The former PSV Eindhoven man is said to be keen on exiting Elland Road this summer in order to get more regular football, and Elfrink has suggested that there is a ‘significant’ chance of this move happening.

Meanwhile, a report by TalkSPORT has confirmed that nothing is imminent at this stage, but Leeds are open to a permanent sale or a loan with a future obligation to buy.

It also states that Piroe is on high wages, so West Ham would likely have to make sure they can offer a similar number to what he currently is on with the Whites.

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Given the latest speculation, it’s becoming more and more likelier that Joel Piroe will become West Ham’s newest addition to their frontline.

After originally linking up with Swansea City for his first stint in English football, Piroe netted 46 times in 96 games across all competitions, earning him a move to Leeds for a fee reportedly in excess of £10m.

Piroe went on to be a part of a star-studded attack in Yorkshire as Leeds went on to lose the 2023-24 Championship play-off final, having scored 13 goals that season.

He then went on to hit 19 goals in 46 games as Leeds won the Championship title a year later, but since then he’s drastically fallen down the pecking order in the top-flight and is in desperate need of a move back to familiar territory.

Needing to restore his confidence and clinical edge in front of goal, West Ham could be the perfect place for Piroe to thrive again, with the 27-year-old offering a decent return of goals in the Championship, while partnering that up with Taty Castellanos could prove to be devastating to the rest of the sides in the division.