West Ham Still Keen on Signing Leicester Striker Despite Underwhelming Premier League Season

West Ham are still looking to get striker Islam Slimani in the summer despite his woeful Newcastle loan, according to La Gazette du Fennec.

The Hammers missed out on the Algerian in the January transfer window, with the Magpies snatching him up on deadline day. And it appears that they dodged a bullet, given the way things turned out.

Slimani, who left the King Power Stadium with a thigh strain, only managed 130 minutes during his spell with Rafa Benitez's side after recovering and still managed to get banned for the remainder of the season after kicking out at West Brom defender Craig Dawson late last month.

He has since returned to Leicester, with Benitez not interested in taking him up on a permanent deal. But West Ham are still said to be interested in bringing the £30m forward to the London Stadium ahead of next season. 

The Foxes, meanwhile, are understood to be looking to recoup at least £20m of their initial outlay.

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Turkish side Besiktas are also reported as being interested, but reports also claim that the striker is keen on remaining in the Premier League.

Leicester boss Claude Puel, who isn't thought to be very fond of Slimani, recently confirmed that the club will open to talks with the 29-year-old over his future after the season comes to a close.

"We haven’t discussed the future with Slim and we will talk to him after the two last games and prepare for next season," the Frenchman said.

Since moving to England in 2016, Slimani has scored just eight times in 39 Premier League appearances. His career could potentially be revived with another move, but there's little indication over where he could end up just yet.