Club thought they had sold prolific striker to West Ham United this summer

According to a report published by Corriere Dello Sport, Italian club Fiorentina had thought that they had sold striker Khouma Babacar to West Ham during the summer transfer window but the deal fell through.

Babacar joined Fiorentina from Pescara in 2008 and was regarded as one of the biggest up and coming talents in Europe.

He became a first team regular after loan spells with the likes of Racing Santander, Padova and Modena and went on to score 16 goals collectively during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

Last season though, Babacar was mainly used as cover for Nikola Kalinic but still managed to score 14 goals in all competitions.

When Kalinic eventually left the club to join AC Milan during the summer, Fiorentina responded by bringing in Cyril Thereau and Giovanni Simeone.

The report claimed that Fiorentina thought that they had sealed a deal with the Hammers to sell Babacar for £13.3 million following the arrival’s Thereau and Simeone, however the deal fell apart.