West Ham to battle for £13m-rated La Liga star as Lopetegui remains 'keen' on Bundesliga ace

West Ham are yet to find their stride this season, picking up just five points from their opening six matches. The pressure is quickly beginning to mount on Spanish head coach Julen Lopetegui who was tasked with building a team capable of taking the club back to Europe for the 2025/26 season.

Despite signing ten new stars, including two players on loan, the Irons are far from the position they aim to be in and attention is fast turning to how they can improve their season, with new squad additions being monitored.

Here is the latest news from the London Stadium camp as Lopetegui eyes two January moves:

Irons battle Aston Villa over La Liga striker

West Ham are said to be hopeful of signing the Valencia striker Hugo Duro. However, according to CaughtOffside, the Hammers may well face fierce competition from Unai Emery’s Aston Villa for the 24-year-old’s signature.

Duro, who has already scored twice for his club this season, has an exceptional energy and goal-scoring ability that Lopetegui is believed to view as a major potential asset for the Stratford-based club. It is likely, however, that the Hammers would need to offload one of his current striker options before launching a move for the £13.3m-rated striker.

The London Stadium club acquired Niclas Fullkrug in the summer in a £27m deal but the 31-year-old suffered an injury while on international duty and has since spent the last few weeks in the medical room.

Danny Ings and Michail Antonio are both still available but the forwards, 32 and 34-years-old respectively, are far from their prime and neither has been able to do the job for the Spanish head coach’s team.

West Ham ‘keen’ on £25m-rated star

Duro appears not to be the only striker on the Irons’ mind, with reports from Football Transfers linking the club with a move for the in-demand Omar Marmoush.

The Eintracht Frankfurt star was the subject of a £25m bid from Nottingham Forest in the summer and while this deal was turned down, the Egyptian star is still reportedly open to a Premier League switch.

Marmoush, 25, has started the 2024/25 campaign with six goals and one assist in five matches. He has created a formidable partnership with the ex-Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike who is another player the Irons have admired in the past.