West Ham are being heavily linked with a striker move when the January transfer window opens as they look to save their Premier League lives.
It has not taken long for Nuno Espirito Santo to identify West Ham’s number one problem.
Within days Nuno is said to have flagged with the club’s board that a striker will be needed in the winter window.
Throw in the fact injury-prone striker Niclas Fullkrug has been sidelined yet again and that need becomes necessity.
A no-nonsense Nuno has already warned West Ham’s board about his January expectations.
Nuno quickly gets to grips with West Ham
The Portuguese has already shown he is in no mood to waste time at West Ham with his interviews, press conferences and his actions and team selection.
So the Hammers board need to sit up and listen when Nuno speaks.
That will mean bringing their new manager a striker in January.
A host have been linked already from Joshua Zirkzee to Chris Wood.
One name that has really caught the eye and captured the imagination is Real Madrid’s Endrick.
Luis Guilherme’s close friend and former Palmeiras teammate has struggled for game time at Real, making just one start all season.
That has cost him his place in the Brazil squad.
With it being a World Cup season, Endrick is said to be desperate to play regularly and find his way back into Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.
Football correspondent Graeme Bailey told Hammers News that West Ham are indeed interested in Endrick.
Romano shares what he’s now heard about Endrick amid links to West Ham
The Irons have been linked with Endrick before, both in the summer of 2024 – when Endrick finally arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Palmeiras after his 18th birthday – and in January 2025.
West Ham are hoping it will be a case of ‘third time lucky’ after Spanish publication Sport reported on Monday that, despite links with Juventus and even Paris Saint-Germain, Nuno’s side are currently ‘the only one to approach Real Madrid to explore a January loan’.
Now a leading transfer reporter has delivered a major update on the young superstar’s future.
Fabrizio Romano has shared what he’s now heard about Endrick amid links to West Ham.
Romano has confirmed heavy interest in Endrick.
And, tellingly, he has given West Ham and Nuno a huge boost by revealing Endrick will be pushing to leave Real Madrid on loan in January if his situation doesn’t change drastically.
“What I can tell you is that already in the summer transfer window there were several clubs interested in Endrick for loan deal from Italy, from France, from England, from Spain,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“So several clubs, and I’m told that several clubs are prepared to return in January. So if Endrick will not play much in the next two, three months, several clubs will return at the table in January trying to offer a loan move for Endrick.
‘The attention around Endrick remains very high’
“Something like come for six months, play, score goals, try to go to the World Cup and then return to Real Madrid in summer 2026.
“We will see because in the summer didn’t want to leave. And wanted to stay at Real Madrid to fight for his place at Real Madrid. So Endrick always had this desire to succeed in Real Madrid and didn’t want to go even on loan. Real Madrid also wanted to keep Endrick.
“So Real Madrid closed the doors to a loan move in the summer. What happens in January? We will see. But the attention around Endrick remains very high as a super talent who didn’t want to leave Real Madrid even on loan and Real Madrid didn’t want him to go but we will see what happens in January.”
West Ham have also been linked with Nuno favourite Adama Traore.
Meanwhile it has been confirmed super agent Jorge Mendes will have a significant say on West Ham’s transfer business alongside his client and close friend Nuno.
