West Ham are in negotiations with AC Milan over the transfer of Colombia striker Carlos Bacca.
The 29-year-old, reported to be worth £26m, joined Milan from Sevilla for £21m last summer and scored 21 goals in his first season with the Italian side.
He scored twice as Colombia got to this summer's Copa America semi-finals.
The Hammers have already brought Sofiane Feghouli, Havard Nordtveit,Toni Martinez and, most recently, Gokhan Tore to the club this summer.
German-born Turkey winger Tore signed from Besiktas on Monday on a one-year loan deal that could become a permanent transfer.
Who is Carlos Bacca
Carlos Arturo Bacca Ahumada (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkarloz ˈβaka]; born 8 September 1986) is a Colombian professionalfootballer who plays for Italian club Milan and the Colombian national team as a striker.
Bacca began his career at Atlético Junior, where he was top scorer in the 2010 Categoría Primera A Apertura. In January 2012, he moved to Club Brugge, where he was the Belgian Pro League's top scorer in his only full season before joining Sevilla for €7 million. He won the UEFA Europa League in both of his first two seasons with the club, scoring twice in the 2015 final. In the summer of 2015, he joined Serie A side Milan for €30 million.
An international for Colombia since 2012, Bacca represented the country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa América. He is renowned for his pace, aggression and determination.
Contents
[hide]Background and personal life
Bacca was born in Puerto Colombia, a coastal town in the Barranquilla metropolitan area, to Gilberto Bacca and Eloisa Ahumada.[1]
Club career
Atlético Junior
Bacca began his professional career with Atlético Junior in 2006, where he did not have many chances to play. While playing football, Bacca had a second job working as a bus driver's assistant, to earn more money since his family came from a poor background.[2] On loan at Barranquilla FC in 2007, Bacca made 27 appearances and scored 12 goals. After that, he joined Venezuelan club Minervén on loan for a season. Bacca led the club into second place in the league, scoring 12 goals in 29 games. In 2008, Bacca rejoined Barranquilla on loan once again and was the league top scorer with 14 goals in 19 games.[citation needed]
In his first professional season at Junior, Bacca quickly earned himself a regular first team place and was the top scorer in the2009 Copa Colombia. One year later, in 2010, he became the winner and top goalscorer of the Categoría Primera A, repeating in 2011 as winner and top goalscorer giving Junior their sixth and seventh Colombian titles.[citation needed]
Since making a breakthrough at Atlético Junior, Bacca had attracted clubs' interest, mostly from Europe. Many clubs in Europe like Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow[3] andChievo[4] came close to Bacca's signature, but those moves were never completed. Bacca revealed that he nearly joined Lokomotiv, but his hopes of moving to Russia ended after the club instead signed Ecuadorian striker Felipe Caicedo.[5]
Club Brugge
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During the beginning of 2012, Bacca signed for Belgian side Club Brugge, putting pen to paper on a three-year contract worth €1.5 million for his services.[6] He stated that joining Club Brugge fulfilled his dream to play in Europe.[7]
He made his debut on 21 January 2012, coming on as a substitute for Lior Refaelov in the 68th minute, as Brugge lost 1–0 againstMechelen. In his first three months at Brugge, Bacca struggled to make a breakthrough in the first team, but in the playoffs, he earned his place in the first team. On 15 April 2012, Bacca scored his first league goal for the club against Gent, which gave Brugge the 1–0 win. Then in the last game of the season, Bacca scored twice, in a 3–2 win over Kortrijk, as Brugge finished in second place to earn a European spot.[8]
At the start of the 2012–13 season, Bacca started to play more regularly after the departure of Joseph Akpala and earned the trust of new manager Georges Leekens. In January 2013, having scored 18 goals to date, Bacca asked for a transfer after announcing his intention to leave Brugge.[9] This in response to several clubs throughout Europe expressing an interest in Bacca.[10] However, in an unexpected turn of events two weeks later, Bacca signed a new contract that would have kept him at the club until 2016.[11] At the end of the 2012–13 season, Bacca finished as the league's top scorer.[12] This led him being nominated for the player of the year in Belgium.[13] Six days later, Bacca won the player of the year in Belgium and wrote on Twitter saying, "Thanks to my family, friends, family and Club Brugge especially throughout Colombia, this award is for you, thanks for your support."[14]
In his Brugge career, he scored 28 goals in 45 league appearances.[8]
Sevilla
On 9 July 2013, Spanish La Liga club Sevilla signed Bacca for €7 million on a five-year contract with a €30 million buy-out release clause.[15]
In the Copa EuroAmericana, Bacca scored his first Sevilla goal in a 3–1 win over Barcelona SC on 26 July.[16] He scored his first competitive goal for the club on 1 August in a 3–0 home win over Mladost Podgorica for the third qualifying round of the 2013–14 Europa League.[17] His La Liga debut came on 18 August in a 1–3 home loss to Atlético Madrid. On 25 September, he scored his first two league goals against Rayo Vallecano in a 4–1 victory.
On 26 March 2014, Bacca netted two goals in a 2-1 Sevilla victory against the then league leaders Real Madrid at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.[18] In the second leg of Sevilla's Europa League quarter-final tie with Porto on 10 April, he scored his side's third goal in a 4–1 win, securing a 4–2 aggregate victory and a spot in the semi-finals of the competition.[19] Two weeks later, he scored the second goal in their 2–0 semi-final first leg win over compatriots Valencia.[20] In the final on 14 May, he scored in the penalty shootout where Sevilla beat Benfica to lift the trophy.[21] Bacca was voted by Marca as the best signing of the 2013–14 La Liga season.[22] At the LFP Awards, he was voted the season's best player from the Americas, ahead of Real Madrid's Ángel Di María and Barcelona's Neymar.[23]
On 30 September 2014, Bacca signed a contract extension with Sevilla, keeping him at the club until 2018.[24] He scored seven European goals as the club retained their Europa League crown, including two in the final for a 3–2 victory over Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, thus qualifying the team to the next season's Champions League.[25]
Milan
On 2 July 2015, Italian Serie A club Milan announced the signing of Bacca after activating his buyout clause of reported €30 million, subject to a medical.[26] He made his debut for Milan in a friendly win over city rivals Internazionale in Shenzhen, China.[27] He made his competitive debut on 17 August in the third round of the Coppa Italia, starting in a 2–0 win over Perugia at the San Siro.[28] He scored his first goal in Serie A on 29 August 2015 in a 2–1 home win against Empoli. He scored his first brace in Serie A on 19 September in a 3–2 home win against Palermo. On 13 January 2016, he scored a rabona-style goal against Carpi in a 2–1 Coppa Italia win, taking Milan to the semi-finals, then scored again in the weekend as Milan beat Fiorentina 2–0. On 31 January, he scored in the Derby della Madonnina against Inter, helping Milan triumph 3–0, then again three days later in a 2–0 victory at Palermo.
International career
Bacca scored his first goal for the senior national team in his debut on 11 August 2010, putting Colombia in front against Bolivia at the Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz; the match finished in a 1–1 draw.[29] His next goal for Colombia came over two years later, scoring his side's second of the match in a 3–0 win over Cameroon on 17 October 2012.[30]
On 31 May 2014, Bacca scored to put Colombia ahead 2–0 against Senegal, in a match that finished 2–2.[31] Bacca was selected to the final 23-man roster for Colombia at the2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil less than a week later.[32] Bacca made one appearance in the finals, coming on as a substitute and winning a penalty in Colombia's 1–2 defeat to hosts Brazil in the quarter-finals.[33]
In a friendly match against El Salvador at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey on 10 October 2014, Bacca scored twice as Colombia won 3–0.[34]
In May 2015, Bacca was included in Colombia's 23-man squad for the 2015 Copa América by coach José Pékerman.[35] After the team's second match, a 1–0 win against Brazilin Santiago on 17 June, Bacca was red carded after the final whistle for pushing over Brazilian striker Neymar, who himself was earlier sent off for deliberately kicking the ball atPablo Armero.[36] Bacca was given a two-match ban, while Neymar was suspended for four matches.[37]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 14 May 2016[8]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barranquilla (loan) | 2006 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 12 |
| Minervén (loan) | 2007 | 29 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 12 |
| Barranquilla (loan) | 2008 | 19 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 14 |
| Total | 75 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 38 | |
| Atlético Junior | 2009 | 29 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 23 |
| 2010 | 32 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 18 | |
| 2011 | 36 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 32 | |
| Total | 97 | 50 | 23 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 130 | 73 | |
| Club Brugge | 2011–12 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| 2012–13 | 35 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 28 | |
| Total | 45 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 31 | |
| Sevilla | 2013–14 | 35 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 21 |
| 2014–15 | 37 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 28 | |
| Total | 72 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 108 | 49 | |
| Milan | 2015–16 | 38 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 20 |
| Total | 38 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 20 | |
| Career Total | 324 | 167 | 32 | 22 | 48 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 405 | 210 | |
International goals
- Scores and results lists Colombia's goal tally first.[38]
Honours
Club
- Atlético Junior
- Sevilla
International
- Colombia
- Copa América: Third place 2016
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