West Ham United have had a loan to buy 0ffer rejected for PSV striker Ricardo Pepi, according to a report from Fabrizio Romano.
After an impressive performance against Liverpool bagging a goal and providing an assist against the Premier League and Champions League leaders, the Hammers have been linked with a late move for USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi. The offer was believed to be a loan for the rest of the season with a €25m obligation to buy in the summer.
The former FC Dallas forward has been in sensational form for PSV this season scoring 17 goals in 28 matches in all competitions this season. Despite already being impressive statistics, they get even more impressive when seeing his limited minutes. Pepi has bagged those 17 goals in just 8 starts this season, meaning he has an impressive ratio of a goal every 62 minutes so far this season.
This will raise questions as to why Pepi doesn’t start more games. Is it because he has more impact off the bench? No. The American has scored at least one goal in all eight of his starts across all competitions for PSV this season, making up 14 of his 17 goals.
The main reason Pepi doesn’t start many games is because his competition for the number nine position is club legend Luuk De Jong. The now 34-year-old striker has scored 181 goals and provided 93 assists in 313 matches for the club and still continues to score consistently.. The Dutchman has been a regular starting since returning to the club in 2023 after mainly unsuccessful spells in Spain, England and Germany.
A lot of PSV fans have called for Ricardo Pepi to become the starting striker, despite De Jong also being in double figures for goals this season. Pepi is very clearly a great finisher, he can hold the ball up and is full of energy which fans love. These credentials could make him a brilliant option for the Hammers moving forward.
A loan with a €25m obligation is a deal that could be got behind because that is pretty cheap for a striker with his reputation and potential. However, the Eindhoven outfit reportedly want a €35m obligation which makes the deal look a lot more risky and unlikely for a striker that will most likely be second choice come the summer unless he hits the ground running.
At this point, West Ham signing Ricardo Pepi seems very unlikely after having a bid rejected. While there hasn’t been any movement in recent days, if a striker is signed by Graham Potter it will most likely be Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton remains our number one target and now looks more likely as Victor Boniface will now remain at Bayer Leverkusen.
