West Ham are exploring a move for Diego Costa.
The Irons are examining all options after losing out to Valencia in the race to sign Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez, with manager Manuel Pellegrini wanting quality to replace frontmen Marko Arnautovic, Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez after their departures this summer.
Bad-boy Costa, 30, is on the way out of Atletico Madrid this summer following the breakdown of his relationship with the club he went ON STRIKE in 2017 to rejoin after three stormy seasons with Chelsea.
Everton and Wolves have also been mooted as possible Premier League destinations for him, but none of the three clubs has yet made a firm bid for the Brazil-born Spain international.
West Ham also have Gonzalo Higuain, another former Chelsea striker, in their sights as well as Eintracht Frankfurt marksman Sebastian Haller.
Argentina international Higuain is available following the Blues' decision to send him back to Juventus at the end of a loan spell that began in January and saw a return of only five goals in 18 appearances.
The Hammers would look to take Higuain on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy, and Juve want any such deal to include an obligation to buy the now 31-year-old.
Haller scored 15 goals in the Bundesliga and another five in the Europa League last season, but the 25-year-old Frenchman is understood only to want to move to a Champions League club and West Ham are not in Europe at all.
With Javier Hernandez now their only recognised striker, former Hammers defender Glen Johnson believes they should go for Costa.
He said: “The club have shown over years if they want someone then they will go get them and they could pay Diego the wages that no doubt he would demand. I reckon he’d strive being a big fish in a smaller pond. I would love to see him back and I wold love to see him play for West Ham.”
