West Ham have taken a step closer to signing Albian Ajeti, according to Sky Sports News [transfer centre 6/8 10:58 a.m].

The club previously had a bid for the striker rejected by Basel, but it is now believed an £8m offer has been accepted for the Swiss international.

Brentford and West Brom are also keen to bring him in, and the latter looked to be leading the race to sign him yesterday after having a bid of their own accepted.

However, Ajeti wants a move to the Premier League so it now looks like The Baggies will miss out, with the player more than likely to opt for a move to East London, where he will earn £50k a week.

The 22-year-old has scored 24 goals in 57 league games across the last two years, and also has three Champions League appearances to boast of.

Brentford are in need of a striker following the departure of Neal Maupay, and likewise, West Brom have only brought in Kenneth Zohore despite losing Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle from last season's squad, so both clubs will now likely have to look at other targets.

The Verdict

It is a big blow for the two clubs to miss out on Ajeti, as he would have brought real quality to the Championship.

West Brom, in particular, will feel a setback, as they looked to be favourites to sign him and may have ceased going after other targets, so will now have to bring those deals back to life.

Both Brentford and The Baggies need a striker before the window closes and Ajeti would have fit well into both teams. He is a poacher in a similar vein to Maupay and would have helped himself to a lot of goals should he have signed.