West Ham may have to pay in excess of £40m for Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez, according to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein.

The Mexican international has been linked with a move to the London Stadium in recent days but Ornstein says that Feyenoord will only let him leave during the January transfer window if they receive an offer “they can’t refuse”:

“I don’t think it would surprise you to see them make a Gimenez-style move. I don’t know if it’s going to be him, I really like what I’ve seen and heard of him, but there is, of course, the Dutch caution. Without knowing we were going to speak about it, I was on a call about him today and it was made very clear to me how desperately Feyenoord need to keep him this season.”

“They’re in Europe, they could get into the Champions League and he’d be worth more than a sale price. Now if it gets up to a figure in the £40millions or more, where they can’t refuse then of course the situation can change. I don’t think right now they are entertaining any interest.”

Gimenez would add goals to the attack

With Michail Antonio having had a setback in his recovery from a knee injury, and Danny Ings up for sale, there is no disputing the fact that manager David Moyes could do with adding another striker to his squad.

On the face it, Gimenez seems like the perfect addition. The 22-year-old is in excellent form, having already hit the back of the net 20 times this campaign.

West Ham will have competition from Premier League rivals

Both Chelsea and Arsenal have been credited with an interest in the Mexican in recent weeks but it should be pointed out that neither club see him as their top priority.

The two teams have designs on signing either Victor Osimhen or Ivan Toney, but if those players prove to be too expensive, they may turn their attention towards Gimenez. It means the Irons would stand a better chance of signing him if they make a move earlier in the window.