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 weighting up a move for Leverkusen striker Patrick Schick

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.