West Ham are ready to give David Moyes a January transfer budget by slapping in an £18m bid for Lamine Kone.
According to a report in The Sun Slaven Bilic sees the Ivory Coast defender as the man to shore up his side’s leaky backline.
Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain has admitted that Moyes will have ‘very limited transfer funds’ in January with Kone one of the most saleable assets.
Sam Allardyce paid French side Lorient £6m for the defender in January of this year with the Black Cats expecting to get three times that figure by cashing in on the 27-year-old.
Bilic is looking for players in every area of the park and is keen to refresh his squad from the group that made the emotional exit from the Boleyn Ground last season.
Everton had a bid for Kone turned down during the summer but have switched their attention to Virgil van Dijk leaving West Ham as favourites to snap up Kone.