According to reports in The Sun, via HITC, West Ham United are said to be lining up a swoop on Premier League rivals Bournemouth for impressive forward Josh King.
The 25-year-old is enjoying his best-ever season at this level after scoring 11 goals in 28 top flight appearances - form which is starting to attract the interest of other managers.
Irons boss Slaven Bilic had the chance to see the attacker at his best – and not so best – when the Hammers were beaten 3-2 by the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium earlier this month – King took the match ball home as he scored a hat-trick, but missed a penalty too.
However, that was just a blip in a fine performance, and the Norway international has stepped up to the goalscoring plate for the south coast outfit following another serious injury suffered by striker Callum Wilson.
Usually playing just behind the striker or out wide, King’s stats for the season are certainly impressive.
His 11 goals in the Premier League have come from 36 shots at goal, which shows that the forward isn’t afraid to have a shot, and also doesn’t have a bad conversion rate considering he has never been a prolific player.
The 25-year-old has also shown he is a creator for Eddie Howe’s side too though, providing two assists for his teammates as well as 17 key passes.
King’s ability to run at defenders and cause them problems is probably one of the reasons he usually starts on the wing or in a less advanced role than the striker, and that is shown by the fact that he has completed 63 take-ons this term - something that West Ham have perhaps been missing in recent months following the departure of Dimitri Payet.
His 80% pass accuracy isn’t too shabby either for a forward, and it is no wonder that Bilic has been impressed with what he has seen.
While it wouldn’t be guaranteed that King could solve West Ham’s striker woes, he could certainly add goals and another dimension to the attack they have right now – if Bournemouth are willing to let him leave, that is.
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