West Ham United have been tipped to raid their London rivals Chelsea for a centre-forward in the January transfer window.

New Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo is clearly not a fan of Callum Wilson, and hasn’t given the former England international a single minute of game time since he took over.

During West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal before the international break, Espirito Santo opted to bring on youngster Callum Marshall ahead of Wilson.

The situation has now worsened for the East London side in terms of strikers, as Niclas Fullkrug suffered a thigh injury while playing for Germany and will be out for several weeks.

West Ham have perfect solution to centre-forward issues

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – has revealed that, according to his sources, West Ham are looking at Chelsea striker Tyrique George in the January transfer window.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that George is an exciting young talent, and a move to the London Stadium would make sense for all parties.

The 19-year-old is well down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and is struggling for game time.

Wyness added that George needs to leave Chelsea, where he will be waiting a while to get his chance.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “One of my sources said West Ham for Tyrique George, and I think that makes all the sense in the world.

“I think he’s an exciting young talent, and West Ham fans have been crying out for something young and refreshing.

“Ever since Antonio’s gone, they really seem to be a little bit bereft up front. It hasn’t quite worked with a number of strikers they’ve tried. So I think this could be a good move, and West Ham would be the right place for him.

“For him to move on from Chelsea, where he’s going to be waiting in a bit of a queue to get his chance, makes sense for him. I think he could be a real talent for the future, so I hope he does make the move. As I say, the London Stadium may be where he ends up.”

Chelsea have given green light to Tyrique George exit

Last week (8 October), Football Insider exclusively revealed that Chelsea will give the green light to George’s exit in the January transfer window.

George, 19, nearly joined Fulham on deadline day and has been the subject of strong interest from Champions League clubs as well as those in the Premier League.

Chelsea have already decided they will listen to offers for the forward heading into January and there is the likelihood a deal will be agreed in advance of the window.

The Blues academy graduate has yet to start a top-flight game for Enzo Maresca’s side so far this season.