West Ham United are interested in making a move for Hoffenheim defender David Raum, according to a report from Sport 1 (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Rise to prominence

Raum made the switch from German second-tier outfit Greuther Furth in 2021 on a free transfer and has gone from strength to strength in the Bundesliga.

A member of the Germany Under 21 side that lifted the European Championship, the 24-year-old enjoyed a stellar debut campaign at the elite level and has since become a fully-fledged senior international.

Now it appears as though major interest could be forthcoming from the Premier League and the London Stadium has been touted as a possible destination...

The latest: Hammers weighing move

As per Sport 1, translated by SW, West Ham, Manchester United and Newcastle United are all 'seriously considering a transfer' for Raum this summer.

It's claimed that the attack-minded nine-cap ace is open to the idea of an 'early departure' from Hoffenheim and a move away is now ‘considered likely' despite only signing last year.

Valued at £18million and under contract in Germany until 2026 (Transfermarkt), the report makes no mention of the fee required to sign the man hailed as 'extremely fast' by sporting director Alexander Rosen.

The verdict: Cresswell's heir...

Signing an understudy and potential replacement for Aaron Cresswell would be an extremely smart move from David Moyes and Rob Newman as the Irons' lack of squad depth was magnified tenfold whenever the 32-year-old left-back was absent during 2021/22.

Last seaso,n Raum scored three times and provided 13 assists in 32 league outings, earning an exceptional Sofascore 7.29 rating whilst winning 4.5 duels, making 2.7 key passes and finding a teammate with 3.0 crosses on average per game - almost triple Cresswell's 1.1 successful crosses per Premier League outing.

Sharing a close stylistic match with renowned full-backs such as Chelsea star Reece James and Liverpool duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson (Fbref), the German possesses all of the attributes to adapt to life in England with ease and should fit into Moyes' system which allows full-backs to attack.

Given the likely stamp of approval from the management, ownership group GSB should be doing everything possible to bring the marauding German to east London.