West Ham were contemplating an “eye-catching” move for ex-Manchester United and Barcelona forward Memphis Depay before he joined Corinthians earlier this week, according to GiveMeSport.

The website claims that the Hammers had identified the 30-year-old as a potential target to strengthen their forward line.

Depay was available on a free transfer after leaving Atletico Madrid at the end of last season, so he could have been picked up outside of the transfer window.

However, it was announced on Monday that he had signed a two-year contract with Brazilian Serie A side Corinthians instead.

Why were West Ham pursuing a striker?

It is believed that head coach Julen Lopetegui is not happy with his forward options. Danny Ings is not part of his plans, having been left out of the matchday squad for the last two matches against Bournemouth (in the Carabao Cup) and Manchester City.

Following the news that Niclas Fullkrug could be sidelined for at least two to three weeks with an Achilles tendon injury, the need to add another striker had also increased.

What stopped the club from signing Depay?

GiveMeSport report that West Ham don’t have much room to manoeuvre when it comes to the wage bill so they struggled to meet the Dutchman’s salary expectations. If they had managed to offload Ings this summer, things might have been different.

The 32-year-old has less than a year left on his contract, and the Irons were keen to sell him to one of his former teams Southampton. However, he is said to have turned down the transfer.

It means that the club will be saddled with Ings’ £125,000 a week contract until the end of the campaign when he will likely be let go on a free transfer.

Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here