Liverpool have confirmed that West Ham United striker target Daniel Sturridge is available on a free transfer.
Manuel Pellegrini wants to bring in six or seven signings to West Ham this summer.
And two of those will be strikers.
It comes after Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll were allowed to leave as part of a raft of changes to the West Ham squad.
No progress on striker front
Pellegrini’s prime striker targets were believed to be Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez and Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic.
But the Hammers have thus far failed to make any headway on either deal.
Another forward long linked with a move to East London is Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge.
Sturridge is one of several forwards on West Ham’s target list this summer according to The Daily Mail.
Liverpool confirm Sturridge departure
And the Hammers may well be tempted to swoop after Liverpool confirmed on Tuesday night he would be leaving Anfield on a free transfer.
Should West Ham move for Sturridge it will raise eyebrows among supporters.
Fans were excited at the prospect of Pellegrini building a young, hungry team around the likes of Declan Rice and Issa Diop.
One sicknote for another?
There will also be concerns among West Ham fans about Sturridge’s injury record.
Especially just weeks after releasing Carroll who managed just 142 appearances in seven years at the club.
Sturridge played only 18 games more in that time.
But he did score nearly double the number of goals, 67 to Carroll’s 34.
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