West Ham have had a €25m (£21m) bid knocked back for Stade Reims forward Hugo Ekitike, according to reports in the French media.
The Hammers had upped their offer from €15m (£12.5m) but the Ligue One side still deem the bid as too low.
Reims are thought to be holding out for fee in the region of €40m (£33.3m), with Ekitike having also attracted the attention of Chelsea and other clubs in recent weeks after a good first half of the season.
The 19-year-old has scored eight goals and laid on three assists in 18 league appearances this campaign, despite Reims struggling in the bottom half of the French top-flight. In an interview recently, the player said he has ambitions to emulate Kylian Mbappe:
“He is truly a magnificent player, who knows how to do everything. People don’t realize how awesome he is. For me, that’s being a top player and that’s what I aspire to be.”
It is unlikely that Ekitike will ever be able to reach those types of levels but he could strengthen West Ham’s attack, which is badly in need of reinforcements, with Michail Antonio the only recognised forward in the squad.
