West Ham have joined the race to sign Montpellier ace Steve Mounie, according to a Mirror report.
The newspaper claims the 22-year-old striker is rated at £13million and is also a summer target for the Hammers’ Premier League rivals Watford and West Brom.
It is said the Hornets are currently lead the race for Mounie as they look to find a replacement for M’Baye Niang, who wants to return to his parent club AC Milan this summer.
The 22-year-old was in fine form for Montpellier last term, scoring 14 goals in 34 Ligue 1 games, as well as providing three assists.
He made the step up into the club’s senior set up in the summer of 2014, but after failing to hit the ground running in his first season he was loaned out to Nîmes Olympique for the 2015/16 campaign.
Mounie is a four-time Benin international, and he featured in three games of their 2017 African Cup of Nations campaign.
Hammers manager Slaven Bilic is on the look-out for new forward options following a disappointing 2016/17 campaign which saw his side finish 11th in the Premier League.
Andy Carroll’s ongoing fitness issues will be a worry for the club, while Diafra Sakho and Michail Antonio also struggled with injuries last term.
The East London club are looking to strengthen their squad overall, and according to the Evening Standard they are also eyeing potential moves for Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi and Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic.