West Ham have moved ahead of the chasing pack in the race to sign Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, reports the Sunday Express.
Sturridge’s future at Anfield has been subject to intense speculation in recent weeks after the England international lost his place in the Reds’ starting XI.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is keen to offload the injury prone striker in the New Year and would be willing listen to offers as low as £25m for the 27-year-old.
The Hammers are looking to bring in a big name striker having missed out on a number of top targets in the summer, including Carlos Bacca and Michy Batshuayi.
West Ham signed Simone Zaza on loan from Juventus, but the Italian has failed to have the desired impact with the east London side keen to cut short his stay in the capital.
Stoke and Tottenham are believed to be interested in Sturridge, but West Ham is thought to be the player’s preferred destination should he leave Liverpool due to a guarantee of first team action when fit and the chance to return to London having spent time at Chelsea prior to his move to Merseyside.
Sturridge has made only four Premier League starts this season and is yet to score in the top-flight of English football, though he has four goals to his name from two appearances in the EFL Cup.
For more stats on Daniel Sturridge, click here to view his WhoScored player page