Not content with signing Andy Carroll form Liverpool, it appears West Ham United have their eyes on Chelsea’s former Newcastle United striker Demba Ba – and bwin make the Hammers the favourites to sign the former Upton Park hitman this summer.
It was only on Wednesday that West Ham completed the signing of Carroll for a club record fee of £15 million plus add-ons, on a reported weekly wage in excess of £100,000.
But even that huge outlay has not seemingly put them off making more reinforcements to their forward line.
Manager Sam Allardyce is keen to add more firepower to a team that managed just 45 goals in 38 Premier League games, only 11 of which came away from home – the worst record in the division.
And as well as Carroll, reports have suggested that Big Sam would like to sign Chelsea striker Ba, who spent six months with the club from January 2011.
Ba hit seven goals in 11 Premier League games for the club but could not stop the Hammers being relegated under Avram Grant, after which he moved to Newcastle.
An impressive 29 goals in 54 league games at St James’ Park followed, but just six months after a £7 million move to Chelsea, it appears that Ba is out of favour with incoming manager Jose Mourinho.
Ba managed just two league goals for the Blues last term, but with Allardyce reportedly keen on bringing the striker back to east London, bwin have cut the price on the Hammers signing their former forward from 7/1 to 11/4, making them favourites for his signature.
The Senegalese is 3/5 to stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the current transfer window, while north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are both 15/2 to sign the striker.
It is 11/1 and bigger that Ba signs for any other club.