West Ham United have made an eight-figure bid for Vitesse striker Wilfried Bony, according to reports this afternoon.
SSN report that West Ham have made an offer worth in the region of £10million for the 24-year-old Ivorian forward, who had looked set to join fellow Premier League club Swansea City last week.A player who has been on the club's radar for some time, Bony was initially linked with a move to east London earlier this year. Back in March, agents representing the striker met with Hammers chiefs in London in order to strike a deal, but the two clubs failed to agree a transfer fee.
Bony - who trialled for Liverpool in 2007 but failed to land a contract at Anfield - started his career in the Ivory Coast with Premier Division club Issia Wazi. In 2007, he spent a season on loan with Sparta Prague before making that deal permanent the following summer.
During his three seasons in Prague, in which he was part of the squad which won both the Gambrinus Liga and the Czech Republic Football Supercup, Bony avergaed a goal every three games - and it was that keen eye for goal which prompted Vitesse to pay £4million to take his to the Netherlands.
His first season - the 2011/12 campaign - ended with his as Vitesse's top scorer with 12 goals (despite having only signed in January, midway through the campaign).
He ended last season as the Eredivisie's leading goalscorer with his tally of 31 goals - five more than his closest competitor, Feyenoord's Graziano Pellè.
Eredivisie 2012/13: Top Goalscorers
1 Wilfried Bony (Vitesse) 31
2 Graziano Pelle (Feyenoord) 27
3 Alfred Finnbogason (sc Heerenveen) 24
4 Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar) 23
5 Sanharib Malki (Roda JC Kerkrade) 17
6 Dries Mertens (PSV) 16
7 Jeremain Lens (PSV) 15
8 Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV) 14
8 Jacob Mulenga (FC Utrecht) 14
10 Luc Castaignos (FC Twente) 13
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