West Ham hunting £40m Czech striker Patrik Schick for crucial January transfer

West Ham manager David Moyes wants to sign a new striker in the January transfer window and Bayer Leverkusen star Patrik Schick has been identified as a potential target

West Ham United are reportedly weighing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick to ease the burden on Michail Antonio.

Antonio is the Hammers’ top scorer this season with eight goals and manager David Moyes is keen to recruit another forward in the January transfer window.

The club has a strong connection to the Czech Republic with Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal and Alex Kral all on the books.

With Czech billionaire and energy tycoon Daniel Kretinsky recently buying 27 per cent of the club, there is a growing Czech influence in east London.

That has led West Ham to look at Schick as a possible signing in January following some impressive form for Bayer Leverkusen.

The 25-year-old striker has netted 16 goals in just 14 Bundesliga games so far this season, putting him second in the charts behind Bayern Munich goal machine Robert Lewandowski, who has 19.

The Mirror reports that Schick could cost the Hammers up to £40million because he is under contract with Leverkusen until June 2025, having only joined the club from Roma last year.

His form in front of goal is nothing new, with the 6ft 2in forward having scored five goals for the Czech Republic during the European Championship in the summer.

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Despite his side going out in the quarter-finals, Schick finished the competition as the joint top-scorer alongside Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo.

His five goals in five games included his memorable goal from the halfway line against Scotland, which won the goal of the tournament award.

Antonio is currently West Ham’s only traditional centre-forward, with midfielders Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals doing their best to chip in with goals.

Nikola Vlasic, who joined West Ham in a £25m deal from CSKA Moscow in the summer, is yet to score in 14 appearances for the club.

The Hammers have stumbled of late, with the 3-2 defeat by Southampton on Boxing Day extending their winless run to five games in all competitions.

Moyes’ side are sixth in the Premier League, seven points off the top four, ahead of Tuesday’s game against Watford.