West Ham have reportedly made a blockbuster bid to land a Premier League striker.

West Ham have made a surprise bid for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran, although they have come up short with their initial attempt. The Hammers have recently lost Niclas Fullkrug to injury, although they were not expected to attempt a blockbuster deal during this window.

In fact, in his recent address, new Hammers boss Graham Potter seemed to indicate that efforts would be concentrated on a defensive signing. He said: “We’ve got a few challenges to fix, but that’s normally why you end up at a football club in January: because there’s things to do. We’ve got some options there internally. And then, of course, we’re always looking for options to help the team.

“JC [Todibo] is going to be a while before he comes back, so there’s no immediate solution there. It’s a calf strain and lower-limb issue. He’s going to be a bit of time yet. We have to look for what we have.”

Despite that, West Ham have reportedly submitted a £57million bid to sign Duran, a bid Aston Villa have swiftly rejected, valuing the striker as highly as £80million, according to The Telegraph. Meanwhile, The Guardian have added that Villa are ‘unhappy’ with the timing of the bid, expecting any approaches from rivals to come in the summer window.

Duran was linked with a Villa exit in the summer, with Chelsea reportedly interested at the time, but he wound up signing a new contract that lasts up to 2030, meaning Villa have a strong hand in any negotiations. Duran enjoyed a superb start to the season and has racked up 12 goals in 27 appearances across all competitions.

Cottee urges West Ham to spend big

West Ham legend Tony Cottee has been speaking about the possibility of signing Duran, and he believes it would be a worthwhile signing even if it costs the Hammers big money. He told BetUK: “I think every manager over the last 10 years at West Ham should have focused on signing a striker as the club has been crying out for a strong number nine. The owners over the last 15 years have bought in 50 forward players, and you can count on one hand how many have been successful. But it's not easy, you can’t wave a magic wand and find a player who scores 25 goals a season.

“I think Jhon Duran is the perfect solution for West Ham. He is dynamic and is absolutely lethal for Villa when he gets the opportunity to play. I'm pretty certain Duran would be the perfect striker that all West Ham fans want. Not just because he is a good player, but also because he is still young and learning. West Ham would be signing a player that could score them 20 or 25 goals a season for the next 10 years, so if they have 70 million to spend on him I would encourage them to do everything they can to sign him.”