West Ham United have reportedly reached an agreement with Aston Villa to sign striker Danny Ings for around £15m.
After finishing seventh last season, the Hammers are now embroiled in a relegation scrap this term, sitting in 18th place and only above the foot of the table on goal difference.
David Moyes is now keen to bolster his attacking options in the January transfer window, with Wolverhampton Wanderers (12) the only Premier League club to have scored fewer goals than West Ham (15) so far this season.
Gianluca Scamacca joined the Hammers for around £35m in the summer, but he has struggled to make an impact in front of goal, netting just times in 16 top-flight games, while Michail Antonio has only scored twice in 18 appearances.
Meanwhile, Ings has scored more than Scamacca and Antonio combined, finding the net six times in 18 Premier League games for Villa, and West Ham have identified the 30-year-old as one of their main targets as they bid to steer themselves away from danger.
© Reuters
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, West Ham have reached a "full agreement" with Villa to sign Ings for a transfer package of £15m including add-ons.
Romano adds that personal terms have also been agreed and the striker is scheduled to undergo his medical before finalising his move to the London Stadium.
Ings has spent the last 18 months at Villa Park since completing a £25m transfer from Southampton, but the three-cap England international has failed to reach the heights expected.
Nevertheless, Ings has still managed to notch up 14 goals and eight assists in 52 appearances for the Midlands outfit and he is currently their top scorer across all competitions with seven strikes, two clear of Leon Bailey with five.
Injuries plagued Ings from making an impact at Liverpool between 2015 and 2019 but the striker has managed to score an average of one goal in every three top-flight matches during spells at Burnley, Southampton and Villa.
The potential arrival of Ings and another centre-forward at West Ham could cast doubts over the future of Antonio, with Sky Sports News claiming that the Hammers will be open to offers for the 32-year-old if they sign two strikers in January.
© Reuters
West Ham are said to hold an interest in Lorient striker Terem Moffi, who has scored 12 goals in 18 Ligue 1 appearances this season and is valued at around £25m.
However, the East Londoners could face competition from the likes of Southampton, Bournemouth and Nice, who have also been credited with an interest in the 23-year-old Nigerian.
Antonio, meanwhile, was linked with a potential loan move to Chelsea earlier this month, and the forward recently refused to rule out a departure from the London Stadium.
"My agent deals with all that and if something happens, something happens. Right now, I'm at West Ham and I have to pay attention to that," Antonio told reporters via Sky Sports News.
"If something changes, it changes. We've got a striker in and are maybe looking at other strikers because, right now, we're not doing it".
West Ham are currently preparing for an important Premier League showdown with relegation rivals Everton on Saturday, with Moyes allegedly facing the sack if they lose on home soil.
Oliver Thomas
