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By: Peter Akinbo
English Premier League club West Ham are willing to break their club transfer record to sign Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface, from German side, Bayer Leverkusen, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Hammers paid £45m for Ivory Coast international Sebastien Haller in July 2019 but are prepared to exceed that sum to land Bundesliga ace Boniface.
The Nigeria international is currently sidelined with a groin injury, which necessitated his exclusion from Nigeria’s squad to the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
But prior to that setback, the 23-year-old had netted 16 goals plus eight assists in all competitions this term for Xabi Alonso’s impressive side and is Leverkusen’s top scorer.
He has been instrumental in their quest for a first Bundesliga title and they sit first in the table with 48 points after 18 matches. Their last two games without Boniface have been won in added time and they seem to have missed his clinical finishing.
The ex-Bodo/Glimt and Union Saint-Gilloise forward penned a five-year deal when he signed for Leverkusen last July, meaning BayArena chiefs are under no pressure to sell.
Boniface’s price tag may rise, should a bidding war surface, with The Sun claiming Chelsea and Newcastle are two other interested parties while 14-time Champions League winners Real Madrid have also been linked with the Nigerian.
West Ham are eager to land an out-and-out No.9 this month, with injured attacker Jarrod Bowen their top scorer. Bowen has 14 goals in all competitions, the only Irons player to hit double figures so far this season.
Boniface is currently in the rehabilitation phase of his recovery after undergoing a successful surgery on his groin injury.