West Ham transfer target Joshua Zirkzee “will not leave” Bologna during the January transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Hammers are one of several Premier League clubs who have been linked with the Dutchman but, writing in his Daily Briefing Substack column, Romano said that the forward won’t be sold this month:

“Bologna are very clear: Joshua will not leave in January, they guarantee. His former club Bayern Munich will not decide on the buy-back clause now, that’s all a discussion for June, not this January.”

Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle have also been mentioned as potential suitors for the 22-year-old, who has scored 7 goals in 19 Serie A appearances this season.

What other strikers could West Ham pursue?

The Irons have looked at a fair few options to strengthen their forward line but, in addition to Zirkzee, a number of them have already been ruled out as potential targets.

Timo Werner has joined Tottenham on loan from RB Leipzig, while it is believed that manager David Moyes has cooled his interest in Chelsea’s Armando Broja.

Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke is likely to be too expensive, and Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy’s participation in the African Cup of Nations makes a move for him unlikely in January.

The club could sign a winger

It is believed that, rather than focusing their attention on recruiting a new No.9, West Ham could look to buy a wide player instead, with the likes of Maxwel Cornet and Said Benrahma set to leave the London Stadium if buyers can be found.

Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson is a player of interest to the Hammers, while Juventus’s Samuel Iling-Junior, Sunderland’s Jack Clarke and Norwich City’s Jonathan Rowe are also on the club’s radar. At the moment, no bids have been lodged but that is likely to change over the coming days and weeks.