West Ham are interested in Mainz forward Jonathan Burkardt, according to reports in the German media.

The 24-year-old has been in excellent form this season, having scored 14 goals in the Bundesliga; four more than Arsenal transfer target Benjamin Sesko.

Burkardt’s form has been rewarded, having been given his first cap by Germany at senior level back in October, coming on as a substitute against Bosnia during a Nations League fixture.

Since then, the striker has continued to score regularly, including the winner against Sesko’s RB Leipzig on Saturday.

Burkardt will be made available this summer

Mainz are not exactly a rich club and one of their goals will be to raise a decent sum from offloading the forward at the end of the season.

They are hoping to break their record for a transfer fee received, which currently stands at £25m. Bild claim that they could hold out for as much as €50m (£41m), with the Hammers among his potential suitors.

West Ham were linked when Steidten was still at the club

It should be pointed out that links to Burkardt first emerged at the end of last year when Tim Steidten was the club’s technical director.

Considering Steidten has a strong scouting network in Germany, it is more than likely that the Irons’ interest in the Mainz player stemmed from him.

Of course, the club’s new head of recruitment, Kyle Macaulay, may well have maintained an interest in Burkardt, especially as he has continued to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

West Ham are desperately short of options up front, and if Niclas Fullkrug is sold, as some expect he will be over the coming months, the club’s search for a new No.9 will become even more urgent. A move for Burkardt can, therefore, not be completely ruled out.

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