West Ham United tipped to battle Chelsea in £68m transfer race for in-demand striker

Chelsea are set to face a familiar foe if they submit a second bid for Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion with West Ham reportedly also interested in the striker. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a ‘breakthrough’ campaign for the La Liga side Alaves, on loan from Atleti, and as such as seen significant interest from around the Premier League.

According to reports from The Guardian, Chelsea’s new manager Enzo Maresca does not want to commence the new season with Nicolas Jackson as his only striking option. The Blues had been eyeing up Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran and while they have been given permission to hold talks with the £40m-rated striker, the west London club are said to be unsure about pushing ahead for a deal, with Duran’s wage demands reported to be in excess of what Chelsea are willing to pay.

Omorodion has since emerged as an equally exciting prospect but Atleti remain evidently unwilling to part ways with their rising star. The Spain youth international is yet to make his debut for Diego Simeone’s side but scored nine goals for loan club Alaves, prompting Chelsea to offer a bid worth €40m (£34m). The offer is said to include €32.5m as a fixed fee with the rest made up through add-ons.

However, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the Irons also tabled an offer for the 20-year-old striker with the bid reported to be worth €35 million (£30m). Atleti are said to have subsequently rejected the Hammers bid, and it was then of little surprise that the Blues’ narrowly increased bid was apparently also denied.

Enzo Maresca’s side are, however, look unlikely to let this rejection faze them as they continue to work on the move. Reports in Italy suggest that a significantly improved bid would be required to please the La Liga club with Atleti reportedly valuing the Spanish star at €80 million (£68m).

Omorodion has been part of the Atletico set-up since 2023, signing a five-year contract with the club but was then immediately sent out on loan to Alaves. His early years were spent with Granada, making 32 league appearances for their reserve team and scoring 14 goals in the process. The striker has ten appearances for the Spanish youth sides, most recently taking part in the Euros U19 Championships that saw the Rojita lose to eventual champions Italy in the semi-finals.