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Everton must hijack West Ham deal to sign Danny Ings in January
Everton must hijack West Ham’s move for Aston Villa striker Danny Ings in the January window.
According to talkSPORT transfer correspondent Alex Crook (19 January, live blog, 8:08), the Hammers have made a £10 million bid for the 30-year-old striker, and they still face strong competition from Everton and Southampton.
Fabrizio Romano reported on 19 January that Ings is open to joining the Hammers this month, and West Ham are in talks over a deal to sign him.
“Lots of clubs have shown an interest in Danny Ings. Everton had a loan bid rejected, Southampton have shown interest,” said Crook to talkSPORT.
“West Ham, we hear, have now put in a £10 million bid.
“The question for Danny Ings is, is a move to a Premier League relegation struggler the right move at this particular time?”
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The Toffees have had a loan bid rejected for Ings earlier this month, but it seems they haven’t completely given up on him.
Obviously, finance is a big issue for the Toffees at the moment, but surely they can manage to pay around £10m-£15m for someone. The club’s survival is at stake, and that’s the gamble they have to take.
Everton has reportedly linked with a host of players, including Arnaut Danjuma [Sky Sports; transfer live blog, 17 January, 01:46pm]. While Danjuma will be a quality addition on loan, if they can sign him, the club should equally focus on landing Ings.
The former Southampton striker is a proven Premier League goalscorer. He has managed 122 career club goals and has shown his class in the Premier League.
He has managed six goals in eight starts for Villa this season in the league but has dropped down the pecking order under new manager Unai Emery.
Ings would be ideal for a club like Everton who are desperate to sign a new striker in January.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has just returned from a long injury lay-off, and he needs support. Neal Maupay has been really poor, and there is not a single player at the club who can score regularly.
West Ham have taken the initiative to sign Ings, but Everton can still make the race interesting by making a similar offer, leaving the player to decide over his next move.