West Ham manager Slaven Bilic wants to add pace to his squad and is interested in bringing Southampton striker Shane Long to the club in the summer, reports The London Evening Standard.
The Hammers have underwhelmed this season and are preparing for a summer of big investment as they bid to avoid another relegation battle in their second year at the London Stadium.
West Ham will prioritise their resources on signing a new striker and right-back in the summer and are already beginning to plan for the transfer window after securing their Premier League status last weekend.
Bilic’s side are expected to rekindle their long-standing interest in Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, but the Hammers are also interested in signing Long.
The Republic of Ireland international has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular under Southampton manager Claude Puel this season but does offer a direct threat to goal with his speed, something that West Ham have lacked in attack this season.
Long has only started nine Premier League matches this season and hasn’t found the back of the net since February. In fact, three of the five goals he has netted this season across all competitions have come away from home.
Furthermore, only Hal Robson-Kanu (22) has been subbed on more times in the Premier League this season than Long (21).
For more stats on Shane Long, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
