West Ham’s are preparing a move for Colombian attacker José Izquierdo, according to a source close to WestHamWorld.co.uk.
José Izquierdo currently plays for Club Brugge in the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium and in 34 senior appearances, where he has racked up over 2,500 minutes, he has scored 16 goals.
The attacker netted in Club Brugge’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Leicester City in November.
Izquierdo had recently been called up to the Colombian national squad for fixtures against Spain and Cameroon, scoring in a 4-0 win over the latter.
The 24-year-old also won the Belgian Cup for his club in a 2-1 win against Standard Liege where he scored the equaliser and put in a Man of the Match performance.
He is a notable presence on the pitch by using his electrifying pace and skill to come in wide and attack through the centre.
Slaven Bilic has seen footage of José Izquierdo and is keen to bring his speed to east London in order to improve his attacking width on the left hand side.
José Izquierdo’s contract expires in 2019 and has a valuation of around £10m. Our source has told us a £12.5m deal is on the cards.
Bilic is also keen on Izquierdo’s strength and at 5ft 7” his low centre of gravity of getting past players has been key to his success. He is the quality player Bilic has been looking for for some time now.
We have been told that Izquierdo has been noticed by the same scout who initially alerted Bilic to Henry Onyekuru.
Tony Henry’s team had decided to move for Onyekuru first due to his age and cheaper price-tag but now that he is signing for Everton, the club will instead move for Izquierdo as a worthwhile alternative.
