West Ham United are facing stern competition in their pursuit of Hull City starlet Keane Lewis-Potter, with the forward reportedly the subject of rival approaches.

What's the word?

According to journalist Phil Buckingham, fellow Premier League outfit Brentford have made an offer of around £20m for the 21-year-old, as they look to fend off the Hammers - and others - in the race for his signature.

Writing on Twitter about the developing situation, the reporter stated: "Brentford have upped their attempts to sign Keane Lewis-Potter from #hcafc. Could be worth as much as £20m. Hard to turn down that sort of money. Player eager for a crack at the Premier League."

In his attached piece for The Athletic, Buckingham reports that the 5 foot 7 menace had been the subject of offers from the Bees both last summer and in January, with Thomas Frank keen to make him his first addition of the window.

West Ham must act

The previous suggestion had been that David Moyes and co were the 'frontrunners' in the battle to land the highly-rated youngster, although it looks as if the west Londoners have now assumed that position themselves, with the Irons needing to act swiftly to ensure that they at least put up a fight.

The London Stadium outfit had seemingly been hoping to replicate their previous success regarding signing a player from the Tigers, with current first-team star Jarrod Bowen having netted 26 goals and provided 21 assists since arriving on a £20m deal from the Championship outfit back in January 2020.

The belief is that Lewis-Potter could well replicate that smooth transition to life in the top tier, having been in explosive form in recent seasons at the MKM stadium at his local club.

After bagging 13 goals and registering six assists in League One during the 2020/21 campaign, the £10.8m-rated ace followed that up with a further 12 league goals the following season in the division above, while also chipping in with four assists for Shota Arveladze's side.

Dubbed a "special talent" by former boss Grant McCann, the £3k-per-week gem appears set for a bright future, with a move to a top-flight club, such as West Ham, seemingly the logical next step in his career.

Although it may take a fairly sizeable figure to get the deal done, GSB have proven in the past with the case of Bowen that they are willing to splash the cash on a player who may have little or no top-tier experience.

They simply must get the chequebook out again to make a similar deal for young Lewis-Potter, or risk watching him blossom before their eyes at Brentford next term.

AND in other news, Moyes plotting move for “special” £45m “baller”, he’d be a “superstar” for West Ham