West Ham will need to finish the signing of Burnley winger Maxwel Cornet by midday on Friday in the event that they want him to be involved of their Premier League opener against Manchester City two days later. The Hammers look set to prise the ace away from Turf Moor after agreeing to satisfy his release clause but now face a race against time to register him before the sport.
In keeping with Sky Sports, West Ham had originally desired to take Cornet to the London Stadium on loan and had entered advanced talks together with his current employers. However the 25-year-old is now set to travel to the capital on Thursday evening for a medical after the Hammers agreed to sign him on a everlasting deal.
Premier League regulations state that latest signings have to be registered by 12pm on the last working day before a fixture. Which means all top-flight clubs aside from Arsenal and Crystal Palace, who go head-to-head at Selhurst Park on Friday evening, can be given the identical deadline to finish signings in the event that they want them to be eligible for matches this weekend.
Cornet moved to England last summer after Burnley paid Lyon just shy of £13m to get their hands on him. And the Ivory Coast international enjoyed a positive campaign with the Clarets as he bagged nine goals in 26 Premier League games.
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West Ham can be hoping the capture of Cornet will provide them with more firepower in front of goal. The east London giants netted 60 times within the Premier League last season as they launched an assault on the highest 4 before Christmas. But following an indifferent run of form in the course of the second half of the campaign, David Moyes’ side ultimately finished in seventh place.
Their top league scorer Jarrod Bowen only found the back of the web 12 times throughout the season as goals were shared across the team. And the arrival of Cornet could provide the Hammers with one other outlet as they appear to embark on a successful season each domestically and within the Europa Conference League.
