Troy Parrott: West Ham lead race for Ireland striker in £30m move

Why the Troy Parrott move is a surprise

The Hammers were on Tuesday reported to be closing in on a club and Championship-record fee of around £30 million for the striker, as Balls.ie reported.

Parrott is coming off the best season of his career, scoring 31 goals and providing 10 assists for AZ Alkmaar as they won the KNVB Cup and reached the Conference League quarter-finals.

That his form at AZ Alkmaar, allied to his heroics in an Ireland shirt on the road to the play-off in Prague, made him one of the most sought-after forwards on the continent.

Some of Europe's biggest clubs had been linked, with the shortlist reported to have narrowed to Real Betis, Ajax, PSV, Como and Fulham.

West Ham's emergence from the Championship over the weekend was therefore a genuine surprise, given the Irishman had been tipped for top-flight, even Champions League, football.

For Ireland fans watching alongside fellow Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, the destination matters as much as the fee, with a drop to the English second tier a gamble at this stage of Parrott's career.

The deal is not yet done, and the chasing pack could still move before the window shuts.