West Ham are interested in signing Cruzeiro forward Kaio Jorge, according to multiple reports in the Brazilian media.

Globo Esporte originally claimed that the Hammers were pursuing the 23-year-old, but RTI Esporte say they have since verified the information.

They assert that the Hammers are “willing to pay” around €25m (£22m) for Jorge, but Cruzeiro feel they can hold out for even more than that, considering his form this season.

The Brazilian has found the back of the net 20 times in 33 appearances, and it even led to him being called up by his national team for their last two World Cup qualifiers versus Chile and Bolivia.

Jorge received his first international cap against the former, playing the final 20 minutes of the 3-0 win earlier this month.

The striker has played in Europe before

Jorge started his career at Santos before being sold to Serie A giants Juventus in the summer of 2021. However, things didn’t work out for him in Italy.

He struggled to establish himself with the Bianconeri, scoring 0 goals in 11 appearances, and he was loaned out to another Serie A team, Frosinone, during the 2023/24 campaign. Things didn’t go much better for him there either, scoring just 3 times in 22 matches.

Jorge eventually returned to Brazil last year, and he has managed to rebuild his reputation in his home country.

West Ham need more firepower

It was obvious even before the season began that the Irons were light up front. Niclas Fullkrug has not been able to stay off the injury list since being signed at the start of last season, while the arrival of Callum Wilson was not universally welcomed due to his own poor fitness record.

Reinforcements are required, and it looks like Jorge is one of the names under consideration ahead of the next transfer window.

Read more about the West Ham First Team Squad for 2025/26 here