West Ham join £30m race for Millwall and Nigeria forward Femi Azeez

West Ham United have joined the battle to sign Super Eagles winger Femi Azeez from Millwall in a deal that could cost around £30m, as Championship and Premier League clubs compete for one of last season’s standout performers.

The 25-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign for Millwall, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists, form that earned him a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Season and has now put him at the centre of a major summer transfer tussle.

Azeez was instrumental in Millwall’s run to the Championship play-off semi-finals, playing a key role in an attacking unit that pushed the Lions to the brink of promotion before their bid to reach the Premier League was ended by Hull City.

His emergence has attracted strong interest from across English football. Europa League winners Aston Villa and newly promoted Premier League side Hull City had already been monitoring the winger, and West Ham have now entered the race, according to Transferfeed.

West Ham rebuild after relegation

West Ham were relegated from the Premier League last season and are under pressure to construct a squad capable of securing an immediate return to the top flight.

As part of that rebuild, the club are prioritising attacking reinforcements, and Azeez has been identified as a potential solution on the flank following the departure of Crysencio Summerville.

The Dutch winger has left the London Stadium for Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, creating a vacancy in wide areas that West Ham believe Azeez could fill with his pace, creativity and versatility across the forward line.

Club officials view him as a player who could both replace Summerville’s influence and add a different dimension to their attacking options as they look to challenge for promotion at the first attempt.

Premier League ambition fuels exit talk

Azeez has made no secret of his desire to play in the Premier League, and Millwall’s failure to clinch promotion has intensified speculation that he could move on before the transfer window closes.

That ambition has encouraged Aston Villa and Hull City to maintain their interest, with both clubs seeing the Nigeria international as a player who could make an immediate impact at the highest level.

For Hull City, a move for Azeez would not only strengthen their squad ahead of their first season back in the Premier League but also reunite them with a player they denied promotion in last term’s play-offs.

Aston Villa, fresh from winning the Europa League, are exploring options to deepen their attacking resources as they balance domestic commitments with European competition.

Nigeria breakthrough boosts profile

Azeez’s performances for Millwall have been matched by a rapid rise on the international stage with Nigeria.

His club form earned him a first call-up to the Super Eagles, and he made an immediate impression, scoring twice on his debut in a 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe in the Unity Cup semi-finals.

He followed that display with another strong performance in the final, helping Nigeria record a 3-0 win over Jamaica as the Super Eagles lifted a fourth consecutive Unity Cup title.

Those displays have further enhanced his reputation and are understood to have reinforced the determination of interested clubs to complete a deal this summer.

Millwall hold out for full value

Millwall are reported to be demanding a fee in the region of £30m to allow Azeez to leave, a figure that reflects both his impact last season and his growing international profile.

West Ham must decide whether to meet that asking price while also convincing Azeez to choose a return to the Premier League in the longer term via a promotion push, rather than an immediate move to top-flight football with Aston Villa or Hull City.

With multiple clubs involved and the player’s future unresolved, Azeez is set to be at the heart of one of the Championship’s most closely watched transfer sagas as the new season approaches.