West Ham remain interested in Jesse Lingard and a reunion in January is becoming increasingly likely...

What's the word?

The 28-year-old maestro returned to parent club Manchester United in the summer to try and fight for his place under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following a successful loan stint in east London.

However, despite the club's struggles on the pitch, Lingard has still not been utilised to good effect and with his contract up at the end of the season, his future may lie elsewhere.

That could be back at the London Stadium after Irons insider ExWHUemployee delivered an exciting claim to his 'The West Ham Way' podcast this week.

He said:

"Talking of players in January, Lingard is still very much on the radar and his brother is making it very, very clear about his frustrations at Manchester United and then reacting positively to West Ham’s results so if you read between the lines, there is a strong case to say that Lingard could be coming back in January."

Second time's a charm

The Hammers' attempts to try and keep hold of the English loan sensation was certainly no secret with both manager David Moyes and his assistant Stuart Pearce making their interest abundantly clear in the press.

"We would like him to come and join us. That has been an open secret. He was wonderful last year," the latter told talkSPORT.

Evidently, they failed in their attempts to sign him permanently but it seems like another opportunity could arise this winter and that is a huge boost for the club.

Lingard delivered nine goals and five assists in just 16 appearances to help fire West Ham into the Europa League. Only Tomas Soucek (7.36) recorded a better average WhoScored rating than the United star (7.22) last season. That's how crucial he was to the side.

Of course, with the Irons sat in third position, you could argue that he has not been missed whatsoever but his presence could cement their foothold inside the top four, especially as his supposed replacement Nikola Vlasic is yet to get up to speed since arriving in the summer.

Not only can he play anywhere in attacking midfield - on both flanks and in the hole - but he can also provide back-up to Michail Antonio as a false nine, as we witnessed at times last season. Such versatility is an attractive prospect with a hectic fixture list ahead.

Some reports suggest Man Utd would be open to selling Lingard in January for just £15m, which is a little under half of what they were quoted in the summer, so it could present quite a bit of value to West Ham.

Much of the Hammers faithful were just as desperate as Moyes and Pearce to see him return to the London Stadium in the summer, so they will surely be ecstatic by this latest development from Ex.

It remains to be seen if a deal can be struck but it's certainly more encouraging now than several months ago.

AND in other news, West Ham have struck gold with "important" 21 y/o gem who's "got everything"...