West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini is interested in signing West Brom forward Salomon Rondon, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper claims that the Hammers, who confirmed Pellegrini’s appointment on Tuesday, have approached the Baggies with enquiries about the Venezuela international with him available for £16million thanks to a relegation release clause in his contract.
It seems that Pellegrini is eyeing up a fellow South American to spearhead his attack for next season in what could potentially end up being his first signing at the London Stadium.
Statistics website Spotrac has reported that Rondon earns £60,000-a-week on his deal at West Brom, who he signed for from Zenit St Petersburg in 2015.
Good move for West Ham?
Rondon has struggled to score goals on a regular basis since he signed for West Brom three years ago.
He found the net just 10 times in 40 appearances across all competitions this season and West Ham surely need someone who is more prolific than that.
However Rondon is definitely an improvement on some of the options that are currently wasting wages at the London Stadium.
If Pellegrini can get Rondon finding the net on a more consistent basis then it will be a really good signing for £16million, but with three years of Premier League experience, it seems that time has run out for the Venezuelan to hit his stride.
This is Futbol rating 5/10
Likely to happen?
Although Rondon’s release clause is now activated, he is not likely to attract as much attention as someone like Jonny Evans who is available for a widely reported fee of just £3million.
Many West Brom fans still feel as though Rondon wants to stay after showing a lot of passion and hardwork throughout what has been a tough season for the Black Country club.
It still seems likely that Rondon will move on, but it’s still way too early to see where he will be heading.
This is Futbol rating 4/10