West Ham have been looking closely at Evann Guessand of Nice as they intensify the search for a striker in mid-season.
They scouted him several times in November and December before injuries sustained by Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug and he remains prominent on the list of options.
Guessand, a France-born Ivory Coast international, has enjoyed an outstanding first half of the season with nine goals, including three in his last four games.
French sports paper L'Equipe selected him in their team of the season so far.
Prising him away from Nice in mid-season will not be easy though. They are challenging for the Champions League places and he is the best striker in the team.
The 23-year-old signed a new long-term contract in August tying him to the club until 2028, although offers of more than £20million would test resolve.
Bournemouth and Tottenham have also shown an interest in Guessand as they look to improve their forward options in January.
‘It’s fair to say it's a significant one,’ said West Ham boss Graham Potter of Fullkrug. ‘When a player pulls up like that you know something fairly serious has happened.
‘It’s still early in terms of full diagnosis but nevertheless a significant one, a number of weeks. Months? A number of weeks probably adds up to months, yes. So yeah, I would say that.
‘Crysencio felt something after about 35 minutes and finished the first half, but probably not at 100 per cent. It's touch and go but probably erring towards the negative at the moment, but we'll see.’