West Ham has tabled sensational bids of £22million for both Cologne ace Anthony Modeste and Villarreal’s Cedric Bakumbu, according to a Telegraph report.
However, the newspaper claims the Bundesliga outfit have turned down the Hammers’ offer for Modeste, 29, as they value the striker at £35million.
The Telegraph report also states Hammers manager Slaven Bilic has also seen a £22million bid for Villarreal front man Cedric Bakambu rejected.
It is said if West Ham’s bid to sign one or both of the pair had been accepted it would have been a club record fee, because it would have beaten the £20million they splashed on Andre Ayew last summer.
Modeste enjoyed a fine 2016-17 campaign, as he scored 27 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions.
He joined Cologne from Hoffenheim in the summer of 2015 for £3.8million, and he has since played 73 league and cup games, which have yielded 45 goals and six assists.
Premier League fans may remember Modeste from his short and disappointing spell at Blackburn in 2012, which saw him make nine league appearances without finding the net.
Bakumbu, 26, enjoyed a decent 2016-17 season, and he netted 11 goals in 34 league and cup games.
He has been capped on 12 occasions by the Democratic Republic of Congo, and he has scored three goals.
Bilic is in the market to bolster his forward options this summer, as he will look to improve on his club’s 11th-place Premier League finish last term.