It’s been no secret that West Ham are in the market for improvements to their striking line this summer, with co-chairman David Gold even confirming as much on the radio- where he stated two strikers are on their short-list.

West Ham would prefer to keep their business internal within the Premier League, having been linked with the likes of Michy Batshuayi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Olivier Giroud, but the rising prices amongst English clubs could prove to be problematic.

It was also reported last week that West Ham had seen club-record moves for FC Koln striker Anthony Modeste and Villarreal’s Cedric Bakambu rejected, handing Slaven Bilic’s side another blow in a crucial summer for the Hammers.

Patience is the key for West Ham this summer and a perfect deal may have fallen into their lap, with The Sun reporting the Hammers are favourites to land the services of Bayer Leverkusen’s former Premier League striker Javier Hernandez.

The Mexican forward was a popular figure at Manchester United during his time in English football but never quite forced his way into the starting line-up on a permanent basis, which eventually contributed to his move to the Bundesliga a few years ago.

In Germany, Hernandez has shown his form in front of goal, netting an impressive 28 goals in 54 games for the Bundesliga side, and the experienced 29-year-old could be a deadly addition to West Ham’s attack.

Remarkably, it seems the veteran could be available for a cut-price fee- meaning that West Ham will have funds saved to pursue alternative targets to compensate the Mexican striker- potentially allowing them to chase another more expensive striker.

West Ham’s lack of a reliable forward last season really hurt the Hammers in their debut season at the London Stadium and Hernandez is the sort of addition that guarantees goals, as he’s a clinical striker who can always be found in the deadly areas in front of goal.

With the right service, and a top-class strike partner, Hernandez could definitely be the man to fire West Ham back into European football next season after what was a difficult and disappointing maiden campaign in their new home.

A potential deal also goes to show that West Ham can find benefit by waiting around in the market for the ideal opportunity, as a pursuit for Hernandez could save them a lot of time and effort, whilst still improving their ranks significantly.