West Ham will work up until 31 January on signing a new striker, according to respected outlet Claret & Hugh.
The Hammers are understood to be looking for a new forward to bolster their frontline as uncertainty remains over the future of wantaway ace Marko Arnautovic, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side have been linked with a host of names in recent weeks, but it is believed that they will struggle to complete any deal for their priority targets.
According to Claret & Hugh, a senior source from the club said: “It’s difficult because those we really want are not available until summer and the others are low on the list anyway.
“We will be working on it up to deadline day.”
OPINION
This is probably not the news West Ham will have wanted to hear. Much has been made of Marko Arnautovic’s transfer saga, but with this latest update, it would appear that there is every chance that the whole thing has been a massive waste of time. Reports have suggested that a deal for the Austrian has fallen through at the eleventh hour, and if that is true then it’s hard to see the Hammers going out and spending £40 million on a striker just for the sake of it. The obvious question now will be, if Arnautovic does stay, will he be available to play? You would hope answer will be yes, but he is seemingly the sort of character who could just down tools and wait things out until the summer. Either way, the whole debacle highlights just how difficult it is to get deals over the line in January, and shows just how desperate a situation can get in the winter window.