West Ham are interested in signing Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, according to reports.

The German has had a strong season in front of goal, having scored 17 goals in all competitions for his current club.

Caught Offside claim that the Hammers “are keeping a close eye” on Woltemade, although they are not the only team pursuing his signature.

It is believed that both Arsenal and Napoli have made “direct contact” with Stuttgart to enquire about the player’s availability, while Atletico Madrid are also keeping close tabs on him.

It’s been a rapid rise for Woltemade

Last campaign, the 23-year-old scored just 2 goals in 30 games for Werder Bremen before he left to join Stuttgart on a free transfer.

Woltemade was brought in partly to make up for the loss of Serhou Guirassy who was sold to rivals Borussia Dortmund.

After a spell on the bench at the start of the campaign, Woltemade started finding the back of the net in mid-October and he hasn’t stopped scoring since then. He has helped Stuttgart win the German Cup and finish 9th in the Bundesliga table.

West Ham would have to pay a lot of money for the striker

Caught Offside report that Stuttgart has slapped a valuation of between €45m (£38m) and €50m (£42m) on Woltemade, which is a pretty absurd sum considering he was let go on a free last year.

When you take into account the limited funds that the Irons are playing with, you can’t see the German being regarded as a serious target, especially at his current asking price.

Alternatives such as Lille’s Jonathan David (who is available on a free transfer), Jean-Philippe Mateta (who has a year left on his contract) and Ajax’s Brian Brobbey all look like more realistic options.

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