West Ham are believed to be keen on a move for Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata, despite his club pledging not to sell him.
The Hammers may look to enter the market this month with Marko Arnautovic’s future uncertain amidst regular talk of a switch to China.
A replacement will be sought if he does leave and Zapata has been identified as the man the board want.
The Colombian joined La Dea on a two-year loan with an option to buy from Sampdoria in the summer and the deal looks set to become permanent, with his buyout clause just 26m euros.
Reports in Italy say West Ham are ready to offer 40m euros for the player who has scored 14 goals in his last eight games.
However, Atalanta are keen to keep hold of their star man this month and other sources say they are happy to ignore any advances, regardless of the money on offer.
