West Ham get striker transfer boost despite seeing £21m Ricardo Pepi bid rejected

West Ham are intensifying their efforts to land Graham Potter a new striker before Monday's transfer deadline and they remain in the mix to sign Brighton forward Evan Ferguson, who could leave the Amex on loan or potentially, permanently

West Ham and Bournemouth have been handed a major boost in the race for Brighton striker Evan Ferguson after Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface's mega-money switch to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr collapsed.

Bundesliga champions Leverkusen were understood to be the frontrunners to land Ferguson - most likely on loan - and had made significant progress during discussions with the Republic of Ireland international's representatives ahead of a potential transfer in preparation for Boniface's departure.

However, despite undergoing a medical, Boniface's switch to the Middle East has now been called off with Aston Villa frontman Jhon Duran poised to undergo a medical in London today ahead of joining Cristiano Ronaldo's side.

Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes has since confirmed Boniface is set to remain in Germany, stating: “There have been talks, but we are happy that he will be training with us today. I assume that he will stay He feels comfortable here, his attitude towards the club is unchanged."

Villa will receive an initial £64.5million plus significant add-ons for Colombia international Duran, who was left on the bench for last night's 4-2 Champions League win over Celtic.

The Hammers and Cherries remain two of the top contenders for Albion centre-forward Ferguson and with Leverkusen now expected to park their interest - the chances of striking a deal have increased. Marseille remain keen and could offer the player the chance to reunite with former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi in France. Graham Potter also knows the 20-year-old from his spell at the Amex.

Bournemouth are open to strengthening their frontline after losing Evanilson and Enes Unal to a fractured metatarsal and ACL injury, respectively.

West Ham have also seen a loan plus obligation-to-buy bid worth in the region of £21m rejected by PSV for USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi.

Pepi netted the winner in last night's 3-2 Champions League victory over Liverpool in Eindhoven and Dutch sources are anticipating a second approach from the Irons for his services, though English sources are providing no assurances that will happen.

As of yesterday, the Hammers were also yet to receive a formal bid from Shakhtar Donetsk for Brazilian attacker Luis Guilherme, who has also attracted interest from the Saudi Pro League. Shakhtar are firm admirers of West Ham summer signing Guilherme, talks have been held, but an official offer in writing is yet to land on the table according to club sources. Sources close to the player, however, claim the approach was rejected out of hand and was too low.

Meanwhile, interest in Ajax striker Brian Brobbey appears to have cooled for now although there is always a chance it could be revisited before Monday's deadline.

Monaco are unlikely to return to the table for Mexican international midfielder Edson Alvarez, who is not available for transfer this month. The Ligue 1 side are believed to have seen two approaches knocked back in the past few weeks.

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