West Ham have failed in their attempts to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, according to reports in Spain.

Madrid-based publication Marca claims that the Hammers have had a €25m (£21m) offer “rejected” for the Argentinian international.

De Paul, who won the World Cup with his country in 2022, is a key player for Atletico, having started all seven of their Champions League fixtures so far, as well as featuring 22 times in other competitions.

However, the 30-year-old does have less than 18 months left on his contract at the Riyad Air Metropolitano and he has also been linked with a transfer to the Middle East.

Potter is keen to recruit a midfielder

The Hammers have not been particularly strong in the middle of the park this season. The signing of Guido Rodriguez has not worked out, while the likes of Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek lack the technical proficiency that head coach Graham Potter would like.

De Paul would have strengthened West Ham’s midfield in several respects. He is a multi-faceted player who combines good passing accuracy and a high work rate.

Who could West Ham target instead?

The Irons have considered pursuing Chelsea’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. However, due to the Blues’ injury problems, the club are now reluctant to send him out on loan.

Younger alternatives have been explored, including Leuven’s Leuven’s Ezechiel Banzuzi and Sporting Lisbon’s Dario Essugo but negotiations for both players have not progressed

For the moment, it appears the main priority for the club’s recruitment department is to bring in a new No.9. Potter has been fielding Lucas Paqueta up front in the absence of Niclas Fullkrug, Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen. The Brazilian has done an admirable job but the manager needs more options in that position.

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