Newcastle and West Ham eye ‘absolute bargain’ deal for £17.5m striker outscoring Harry Kane

Newcastle United and West Ham United could land a bargain deal for one of the Bundesliga’s most in-form strikers over the coming months. The Premier League rivals have both been linked with a move for Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy after he made a stunning start to the season by plundering his way to 15 goals in just nine games in all competitions.

The eight-times capped Guinea international already has two hat-tricks to his name after firing trebles against Mainz and Wolfsburg and has scored twice in wins against Bochum, Freiburg and Darmstadt. That has placed him at the top of the Bundesliga goalscoring charts, five goals clear of Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane and a further two goals clear of Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.

The likes of Everton and Ajax have been linked with a move for Guirassy over the last year but the most recent interest is believed to have come from Newcastle and West Ham, with the latter said to be long-term suitors of the 27-year-old former Rennes star.

Intriguingly, despite speculation over a sizeable transfer fee, Sky Germany have now reported a clause in Guirassy’s current contract means he can leave Stuttgart for £17.5m at the end of the season. However, the same report also reveals a release clause in his deal means the striker can depart for a lower figure in January in what they call ‘an absolute’ bargain for any willing suitors.

Guirassy may need some persuading to depart even if a club triggers the clause in his deal after revealing how happy he was with life at the MHP Arena. He told tobundesliga.com: “I’m only so good because of the team, so I’m grateful. I feel very comfortable in the city and love the great fans, I think that’s the secret of my success. I feel very good right now.”

Stuttgart are said to be ‘working on buying’ the clauses in his current contract and are also hoping to increase the amounts in return for handing a pay rise to their star striker.