West Ham United are in the hunt for Borussia Monchengladbach centre-back Matthias Ginter ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

What's the latest?

That's according to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, who claims that the Hammers are watching the defender - who is also subject to interest from Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus - ahead of a potential swoop this summer.

The 28-year-old would be available on a free transfer ahead of the expiration of his contract with the Bundesliga club at the end of the current campaign.

The East London outfit currently have just two fit senior centre-backs after first-choice Kurt Zouma sustained an ankle injury last weekend, which could rule the Frenchman out for the remainder of the campaign.

Issa Diop and Craig Dawson were excellent on Thursday night as the Irons remarkably beat Lyon 3-0 in the south of France to advance to the semi-finals of the Europa League, with the latter scoring the Hammers' first goal.

However, both have been subject to inconsistency in claret and blue, particularly Diop - who has been criticised heavily at times this term, particularly after a poor performance in the FA Cup against National League North side Kidderminster Harriers - with Jack Rosser dubbing the Frenchman "shocking" in this fixture.

By signing Ginter, West Ham would certainly be bolstering their defence whilst it could also provide an opportunity to finally part ways with the £61k-per-week flop.

West Ham must sign Ginter

Although they've juggled four competitions excellently this term, particularly managing the new experience of European football, the east London side could certainly do with a bigger squad next season - especially if they are to compete in Europe once again.

However, the Irons' defence has been a cause for concern at points this term, with Moyes' side ranking joint 10th in the Premier League for clean sheets with seven in 32 matches, despite being sat in sixth place.

By landing Ginter, the Hammers would be adding quality as well as experience to their backline, something that will be vital if they are to continue progressing into a regular competitor in continental competition.

The Germany international is still a regular fixture in his country's squads, having been part of the World Cup-winning side in 2014 whilst racking up 46 caps.

In terms of the current campaign, the 28-year-old has also been a regular for Gladbach, missing just three Bundesliga matches all season.

However, in general, it's been a disappointing campaign for the North-Rhine outfit - who currently sit 11th in the German top flight with European football looking extremely unlikely next term.

The £21.6m-rated centre-back currently averages a whopping 80.2 touches per league game, whilst completing 84% of his passes and making 1.3 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and three clearances per game.

To put that into context, Diop's league numbers are considerably worse in some areas. The 25-year-old makes almost half the amount of touches at 40.5, whilst making 0.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 3.1 interceptions per fixture.

In fairness, the Frenchman's passing is slightly better at 85%, but he also makes just 28.3 accurate passes a match compared to Ginter's 56.2.

Although, something which could be a cause for concern is that the 28-year-old has, aside from Gladbach, only played for Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg - perhaps suggesting it would take him a while to adapt to the Premier League.

However, the centre-back has established himself as a quality defender in the German top-flight, with Germany legend Lothar Mätthaus even comparing Ginter to Sergio Ramos.

"Ginter has become a leader at the back, in a similar way to Ramos at Real," Matthaus said to Sky Germany. "He doesn't just give instructions to his teammates, but leads them as well. That's what Ginter is doing really well at the moment. He reminds me of Ramos."

There's clear evidence that the German defender would be a quality addition to West Ham's backline. Moreover, to secure the 28-year-old on a free transfer would be an excellent bargain with the deal being low risk.

AND in other news: Forget Rice: WHU's £52k-p/w “set piece savant” with 67% duels won was “superb” vs Lyon