The Malian attacker has had a rough start to life at Upton Park so will leave for a season with Saint-Etienne.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is set to send Modibo Maiga on loan to Saint-Etienne for a season, whilst looking to bring veteran Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida on loan as a replacement.
The Daily Mail claim that West Ham have already had an offer of £3m for Almeida rebutted. Besiktas Director of Football Onder Ozen opened the door for a possible loan move, saying, “We need to restructure our wages and negotiate a more reasonable contract deal with him. We will consider offers for Almeida, especially if we can’t reach an agreement regarding his wages.”
25-year-old Maiga meanwhile will leave for Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne on loan for the 2013-14 season. The striker transferred to West Ham from Sochaux just last season, and for the price of over £5m. However he failed to make an impact upon the first team scoring just twice in 14 league appearances.
Almeida’s record stands in stark contrast, the striker seeing the best form of his career at Turkish side Besiktas.
Last season he was restricted ten league appearances due to injury but still managed to bag eight goals for his team, whilst his four goals in five cup matches in 2010-2011 helped Besiktas win the Turkish Cup.
Should Maiga depart, West Ham would be left desperately short in attack, with Andy Carroll the only remaining out-and-out striker, so there is no doubt that Almeida would be a worthwhile addition.
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