Real Betis are willing to let Loren Moron leave (Getty Images)
According to the Daily Star, newly-promoted outfit Sheffield United and West Ham are ready to go head-to-head in a transfer tug of war over Real Betis striker Loren Moron, with reports claiming that the Hammers have identified the 25-year-old as an alternative to Celta Vigo hitman Maxi Gomez.
Daily Star understands that West Ham were in the market for Loren last summer but the Spaniard had turned down the opportunity to move to the Premier League in favour of remaining in Spain.
However, as the story goes, Sheffield United are also interested now, although the Blades are likely to face stiff competition from newly-promoted La Liga sides Granada and Osasuna in their pursuit of the 25-year-old centre-forward. (h/t Daily Star)
The same report claims that Betis are prepared to cash in on Moron, following a rather average campaign in the La Liga, although they are likely to hold out for a fee as close as possible to the striker’s £35 million release clause.
Moron netted on only 6 occasions in 33 La Liga outings for Real Betis this past season and finished the campaign with 8 goals in all competitions. It is not difficult to see why the Spanish club is trying to get him off their books but he might as well earn a move to the Premier League this summer, with West Ham offered the chance to go back in for the 25-year-old and Sheffield United also interested.
The towering forward played for the likes of Estepona, Marbella and Velez in the lower- divisions of Spanish football before earning a move to the La Liga with Real Betis back in 2015.
Moron proved his worth as a prolific goalscorer for the club’s ‘B’ team, accumulating as many as 30 goals in 64 appearances in the Segunda and Tercera divisions over the course of two seasons before eventually being promoted to the senior-team in 2017.
The 25-year-old struck 7 goals in 15 La Liga outings in his inaugural season in the top-flight but he wasn’t able to replicate that kind of form in the 2018-19 campaign, where his returns dipped to just 6 goals in 33 appearances. Betis seemingly do not want to experiment with him for another season, and quite understandably so, given that his strike rate of 15 goals in 60 games does not look all that impressive.
To put things into perspective, Sheffield United making a move to sign Loren Moron would go against all logic and reason and it is really hard to see the Blades going ahead with a deal for the 25-year-old this summer, with a daunting £35 million price tag on his head.
The Blades relied completely on young homegrown talents and veteran domestic players to secure promotion to the Premier League and one would hardly expect them to adopt a different approach, now that they are in the top-flight.
It is true that Sheffield United need to bring in a new striker this summer to enhance their chances of survival in the top-flight, given that the likes of Billy Sharp and David McGoldrick, who were the key contributors with goals and assists in the Championship last term, are well past the 30-year-mark.
Scott Hogan and Gary Madine are set to return to their parent clubs Aston Villa and Cardiff City, and while the Blades shouldn’t really be looking to sign either of them as a part of their plans in the Premier League, a proven Championship striker would certainly be a better choice for manager Chris Wilder.
The Blades have been linked with the likes of Neal Maupay, Britt Assombalonga, Oliver McBurnie and Jay Rodriguez over the past few weeks and one cannot help but feel that investing in a free-scoring Championship forward would be a much wiser thing to do. Moreover, they are unlikely to spend that kind of money on a single player this summer, which further rules out a move for Loren Moron.
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Moron is not a highly experienced customer in the La Liga and his consistency levels haven’t been anything to rave about either. Keeping that in mind, Sheffield United would dodge a big bullet by dropping their interest in the 25-year-old Real Betis star.