West Ham eye Zlatan and £30m striker to start new era

Mark Holmes
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Tipped to make move to Man Utd

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Tipped to make move to Man Utd

West Ham have enquired about Zlatan Ibrahimovic and are tracking Toulouse forward Martin Braithwaite but have made Michy Batshuayi their top target.

West Ham expect to make £200million a season after moving into the Olympic Stadium, the Sunday Express claims, and Slaven Bilic is set to be handed a hefty transfer budget for the summer as the club looks to capitalise on the extra revenue.

At least £30million has been earmarked for a new striker, the newspaper says, with Marseille’s Batshuayi, valued by the French club at exactly that price, the Hammers’ top target, according to the Mail on Sunday.

The East Londoners have also apparently enquired about Ibrahimovic, but the Sweden international’s £12million-a-year wages may prove prohibitive even with the new riches on offer.

A more affordable option would be Braithwaite, who is set to be watched by scouts from West Ham, Leicester City and Sunderland when he turns out for Denmark against Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old has scored 10 goals playing on the wing for Toulouse this season but will have only one year remaining on his contract come the summer and so is available for around £4million.