Serhou Guirassy is a player who many will be paying attention to at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023.
The VfB Stuttgart forward averaged more than a goal a game in the Bundesliga during the first part of the season, and clubs around Europe have inevitably noticed the form which has made him one of two runaway top scorers in Germany alongside leading marksman Harry Kane.
Guirassy's spell in Ivory Coast with Guinea for AFCON could make it more difficult for the 27-year-old to move in the January transfer window – but it might not deter clubs from trying.
The Sporting News takes a look at what type of player Guirassy is and which Premier League teams have an eye on him.
MORE: AFCON schedule
What type of player is Serhou Guirassy?
Guirassy has "everything a top centre-forward needs", according to Germany icon Lothar Matthaus, who picked him out as a player Bayern Munich should snap up in May 2023 – three months before their surprise signing of England captain Kane.
After emerging from second-tier French side Laval's youth team and having brief, prolific spells with Lille's second string and on loan at Auxerre, Guirassy first moved to Germany when he signed a five-year contract at Koln in the summer of 2016.
He struggled to break into the first team and headed back to France in 2019, initially establishing himself as a fine striker at Amiens.
In the 2021/22 season, Guirassy scored a league goal every 144 minutes for Rennes. According to Opta, that was a quicker rate than vaunted players such as Victor Osimhen (148 mins), Neymar (148 mins), Son Heung-min (153 mins) and Kane (157 mins), and only slightly slower than Lionel Messi that season (143 mins).
MORE: Man United transfer news
Guirassy joined Stuttgart on loan for the 2022/23 season. A year later, the club activated the option to make the signing permanent.
Matthaus told Bild (via Opta) that Guirassy is "just as good but costs a lot less" than France forward Randal Kolo Muani, who excelled for Eintracht Frankfurt before joining Paris-St Germain in September 2023 for £64.2m plus £12.2m in add-ons.
"Guirassy has everything a top centre-forward needs. Why shouldn’t Bayern try for Guirassy? At almost 30, Kane is already too old; Osimhen would’ve been far too expensive."
Guirassy Stuttgart stats, goals
Guirassy made an impressive start this season, scoring 10 goals in Stuttgart's opening five Bundesliga matches, including his first hat-trick in the division as Stuttgart beat Mainz 3-1.
Guirassy also set a new record by becoming the fastest player to reach 15 Bundesliga goals. He achieved the milestone in just nine appearances, beating the record Kane had recently set of 10 matches.
By the end of 2023, Guirassy had 19 goals and two assists in 16 games for Stuttgart. But for hamstring injuries which kept him out of three matches, he might have had even more.
Serhou Guirassy is now the fastest player in history to score 15 goals in a Bundesliga season ⚡️⚽️
— LiveScore (@livescore) November 15, 2023
Harry Kane's record didn't last long 😅 pic.twitter.com/iMKYqjtYjR
Guirassy transfer news: Which Premier League clubs could sign him?
Manchester United are widely reported to be attempting to sign a striker on loan during January and Guirassy has been linked to the Premier League giants by The Athletic.
Writing on January 16, transfer news specialist Fabrizio Romano said Stuttgart were "insisting" on keeping Guirassy for six more months.
"AFCON doesn’t help in terms of dealing with his future this January, so that’s why it has gone quiet," added Romano. "But interest remains.
“Guirassy will be one to watch in the final weeks [of the window]. West Ham like him but, for them, it’s key to sell players in order to think about important signings… so it’s still early."
Hammers manager David Moyes will face competition for Guirassy, according to Football Insider, which said that AC Milan and Newcastle United are also interested.
