West Ham United are seemingly on the tail of an in form striker who is currently plying his trade in England.
Julen Lopetegui has a real headache in the centre-forward department at West Ham right now.
West Ham are clearly in the market to sign a new striker after Michail Antonio’s horror car crash, but the club have apparently seen a £25 million bid for Yuri Alberto rejected.
Now it appears as though Lopetegui and Tim Steidten have switched their attention to someone a lot closer to home.
First and foremost, any new striker coming in to the London Stadium should be perfectly suited to Lopetegui’s playing style.
General view outside the stadium ahead of during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Manchester United FC at London Stadium on ...
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Judging by out latest transfer target, it seems like West Ham have learned from past mistakes when it comes to signing centre-forwards.
There will hopefully be no more forwards who are good players on paper but don’t have the qualities needed to succeed in the Premier League.
The likes of Gianluca Scamacca and Sebastien Haller failed to establish themselves at West Ham.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Now we’re eyeing up a centre-forward who could be perfectly suited to the way we play.
Stunning £20m deal eyed by West Ham
So, signing a striker will be absolutely pivotal for the Hammers in January.
With Michail Antonio out injured for at least 12 months, and Danny Ings clearly not good enough to play at the highest level anymore, West Ham are reliant on 31-year-old Niclas Fullkrug.
The addition of a younger centre-forward this winter to share the workload with the German would be ideal.
And it seems like the Hammers are trying to do exactly that.
Julen Lopetegui, Manager of West Ham United looks on during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United FC at Vitality Sta...
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, West Ham have made a formal approach to sign Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath.
A top source at West Ham has already told Hammers News that Latte Lath is the kind of striker the club are interested in.
However, they also told us that Boro are unlikely to sell the striker in the January window, due to the fact that they’re chasing promotion to the Premier League.
According to The Sun though, they might be tempted if they receive bids worth around £20 million.
The 25-year-old striker has been in fine form for Boro since moving to Teesside from Atalanta in the summer of 2023, with 26 goals in 58 games to his name (Transfermarkt).
Emmanuel Latte Lath perfect for West Ham
I actually think that Latte Lath would be a really useful addition to our ranks at the London Stadium.
He is well-known for his impressive pace and absolutely explosive acceleration over short distances.
The Ivory Coast international is very strong when holding the ball up and his movement in and around the box really is very impressive.
Emmanuel Latte Lath of Middlesbrough shoots on goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Hull City at the Riverside Stad...
Photo by Trevor Wilkinson | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Emmanuel Latte Lath is an extremely hard worker as well, and he’d be the ideal striker to lead the line for us in my opinion.
If Julen Lopetegui is still in charge of the Hammers beyond the end of this month, the addition of a strong, pacy forward should be his absolute priority.
A striker like the Ivorian could actually completely transform the way that we play as a team, due to his explosive pace and strength.
And Emmanuel Latte Lath would be a great signing for West Ham, especially for just £20 million.
Will Middlesbrough be tempted to sell midway through a promotion charge though? That remains to be seen.