West Ham United have submitted a bid for exciting Inter Milan striker Gabriel Barbosa, according to the Football Insider website.
The Hammers are scouring the globe for attacking talent to bolster their chances of not just remaining in the Premier League this term, but to push up the table and set up brighter things for the future.
They have been linked with a number of players already in this January transfer window, but as yet West Ham boss David Moyes has not been able to bring anyone to the London Stadium.
The latest man the Hammers have been attributed an interest in is Brazil international Barbosa, a player who has struggled at Inter Milan, but who has just completed a brilliant loan spell in his homeland with Flamengo.
Despite finding the net just twice in 15 outings for the Italian giants, things could not have been any different for him in South America, where he bagged 34 goals in 43 matches in a season-long stint away.
The 23-year-old has a reputation of being an expert finisher and West Ham are just one of a few clubs who are monitoring him, with Chelsea said to be leading the battle against the London Stadium outfit now that they are allowed to sign players.
Moyes needs another attacker to push Hammers forward Sebastian Haller, with the Frenchman not in the best of form, despite making a decent early impression when he joined the club in the summer.
He hit the ground running when he arrived at West Ham, bagging a few early goals, but his ratio has dipped recently, and so Barbosa could be the answer to their prayers.
If reports are to be believed, the Hammers have tabled a loan-to-buy bid for the Brazilian, which would allow the club the chance to monitor how he adjusts to life in English football, before deciding whether to pay somewhere in the region of £17 million for him in the summer.