West Ham United are reportedly interested in a potential transfer for Flamengo hitman Pedro, according to Brazilian sports media outlet iG Esporte.

He will not come cheap, however – he has a release clause in his contract that has a value of around £51.5 million. Should the Hammers wish to complete a deal for the 26-year-old, it is likely that they will have to meet this price.

So far in the 2023 Brazilian Serie A season, Pedro has scored five goals over the course of 17 appearances – he has yet to register an assist for Flamengo in the current campaign.

Will Pedro be an improvement over the Hammers’ existing striker options?

Pedro isn’t necessarily a massive upgrade over the centre-forwards that West Ham already have within their squad – but he’ll be able to add some quality in depth.

Currently, West Ham have just two senior team strikers – Danny Ings and Michail Antonio. They can also call upon Divin Mubama, but at the age of just 18, he shouldn’t be relied upon as a regular in the first team.

As such, the Irons need to sign a striker. Pedro should be able to fill this gap in the squad nicely – he also brings something new to the table. Technically very adept, he is capable of creating space and playing in his teammates – he isn’t just a goalscorer.

Who have West Ham already signed in the transfer window?

Following the £105 million sale of captain Declan Rice to Arsenal earlier in the window, the Hammers have been busy in the transfer market thus far.

Rice was replaced by Mexican international Edson Alvarez – the Hammers have also brought James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos to the club.

In terms of outgoings, besides Rice, Gianluca Scamacca, Nikola Vlasic, Arthur Masuaku, Manuel Lanzini and Flynn Downes have all departed the London Stadium.

Currently, the only weakness in the Hammers’ outfit lies in the striker role. It isn’t due to a lack of quality – but if they suffer a wave of injuries, their options up top may become limited if they do not bring someone else in before 11pm on September 1.