West Ham close to selling striker back to Italy after injury-riddled season

West Ham are the only Premier League side yet to make a signing. They’ve also seen their captain and star midfielder Declan Rice join London rivals Arsenal. Clearly, it’s not the sort of summer David Moyes had imagined, and things may get worse before they get better. The club has been looking at replacements for Declan Rice, and now they may have to look for a replacement for Gianluca Scamacca.

Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Inter are ‘confident’ on signing Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham United. The Milan-based club has submitted a £21.5m bid for Scamacca that also includes add-ons. Scamacca only joined West Ham last summer from Serie A side Sassuolo last summer for £35.5m, and any transfer will see the Irons at a loss on the player.

Sky Sport in Italy feels even more optimistic that a deal could be close to being done. Reports suggest that if Inter’s offer of £21.5m can rise to £26m, that may be enough for West Ham to close the deal. Jose Mourinho’s Roma was originally interested in signing Scamacca, but the most they offered was a loan with an obligation to buy that was based on certain criteria.

Gianluca Scamacca is teetering between being called a flop and a player that maybe needs more time. He scored just eight goals in 27 matches with West Ham this past season. A knee injury saw Scamacca miss most of the back half of the season, including the Hammers run to UECL glory.

Assuming the Italian returns home, David Moyes will have Danny Ings and Michail Antonio at his disposal. Ings’ best days are likely behind him, having scored just three goals in 22 matches since his arrival in London. Club legend Antonio netted 14 goals last season, but it is unfair to ask the 33-year-old to carry the load up front again this season. With plenty of money to spend, finding another striker for the attack should not be a massive problem, and yet the club has struggled to make any signings.