West Ham are in need of a striker in January, with Joshua Zirkzee linked with a move to the London Stadium.

With the Hammers amidst a relegation battle, they will be hoping to get a deal for the striker over the line as soon as possible. Yet, this now seems an unlikely outcome.

Manchester United want to keep hold of Joshua Zirkzee until the end of January

One factor that is going to affect the Premier League over the coming months is AFCON.

West Ham are set to lose multiple players for AFCON in what is going to be a tricky challenge for Nuno to overcome.

• Zirkzee joined Man United last season
• However, the striker has struggled since his move to England
• As a result, multiple teams are tracking Zirkzee ahead of a potential move

Another club that will also have absentees is Man United. The Red Devils will be without Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo for a few weeks, meaning Zirkzee could be given a bigger role for the time being.

As a result, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Man United want to keep hold of Zirkzee until the end of January, when the Manchester side will be back up to full strength.

David Sullivan will no doubt be fuming about this, especially as the Italian international is a top target.

West Ham will have wanted to bring him in as soon as possible to boost their survival hopes. Now, they may have to wait weeks, which could cost them multiple points and a place in the FA Cup.

Therefore, Sullivan may now be in panic mode, as he searches for a alternative target before 1 January.

The Midtjylland striker has been on fine form in Denmark and has 16 goals in the league in 17 matches.

However, this deal would be significantly trickier to pull off, given that Midtjylland are unwilling to part mid-season.

Therefore, it remains to be seen who West Ham will make official moves for with January now approaching.

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