West Ham are set to complete the deadline day signing of Hull City forward Jarrod Bowen after agreeing a £22million transfer.
Crystal Palace were also linked with the 23-year-old Englishman, who has 17 goals and six assists in 32 games in all competitions for the Tigers this season.
But reports claim, despite their more perilous position in the Premier League, his preference was to join the Hammers.
Palace, who sit 11th in the table while West Ham are 17th and only out of the bottom three on goal difference, were reported to have tabled a £16m bid for the highly-rated winger.
But, according to The Athletic, West Ham then came in with a bigger offer of £14m plus £8m in add-ons.
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It is claimed Bowen will undergo a medical with the east London club this morning with a view to the deal being rubber-stamped and announced before the 11pm transfer deadline.
The signing would be a great coup for the Hammers and manager David Moyes, whose side – with Manuel Lanzini still not at his best after injury – has been badly lacking any attacking verve in recent weeks.
Bowen certainly knows where the back of the net is; he has been on fire for Hull this season and his direct style could be a great asset as West Ham look to get out of trouble at the bottom of the table.
He is no flash in the pan, either. The 23-year-old has proven his quality and shown great consistency for the Championship side over the last three campaigns, scoring 14 goals in the 2017/18 season and then 22 last term.
He has been mostly used as a right winger at Hull, but can play on either side as well as in a more central attacking midfield role.
And while some may question why he has chosen to join West Ham over Crystal Palace, as there is every possibility he could be back in the Championship again next season, Bowen’s signing could also make all the difference in their relegation fight.
