West Ham ‘face competition in pursuit of Giroud’

Rumours continue to swirl around West Ham United’s summer transfers, and manager Slaven Bilic has reportedly made signing a striker top of his priority list.

But it is not one, but two, new frontmen who could be set to line up in the Hammers’ claret and blue next season, both from London rivals Arsenal.

Speculation is mounting that the Hammers’ board are plotting a £50 million double swoop for Gunners strikers Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott.

If Bilic is to strengthen his forward line, he must first stump up the cash to lure Frenchman Giroud and England international Walcott away from the Emirates.

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But he will certainly have competition for the former, with Ligue 1 side Lyon also said to be interested in his services.

“There has been an approach, at some point, for Giroud,” said Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas.

“He is a boy that we like, who scores lots of goals and who has a lot of ambition for Russia [the 2018 World Cup].

“He told me personally that he wanted to take his time, that things were not completely defined with Arsenal, that he had a secret hope that he would be the number one striker next season.”