West Ham’s need for a reliable focal point gives this link an immediate football logic. Parrott offers movement, penalty-box presence and a career trajectory that could still carry upside.

The reported asking price is the tension. Paying a record-level fee would make him more than another forward: he would become the central bet in the club’s attempt to rebuild quickly.

PitchNaija verdict: credible enough to track closely, but still a report rather than an announcement. Fee structure and competing interest are the next signals.