West Ham United have been named among the suitors for Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas, according to reports from Spanish sources.

The lowdown: Striker needed

The Hammers are yet to find a suitable replacement for Sebastien Haller after the now-Borussia Dortmund star headed to Ajax in January 2021.

Instead, David Moyes has had to make do with only Michail Antonio as a recognised senior centre-forward, occasionally utilising Andriy Yarmolenko and Jarrod Bowen in a makeshift capacity as alternative options.

Having already been heavily linked with Chelsea sensation Armando Broja and Sassuolo talent Gianluca Scamacca throughout the summer, it has now emerged that another frontman could be on the radar in east London...

The latest: Long-standing admirers

As per reports from Spain, West Ham have been 'following' the four-cap Spain forward since he moved from Real Madrid to Benfica in 2019.

It's claimed that De Tomas would 'undoubtedly' be one of the 'main targets' at the London Stadium, although there is competition from Premier League rivals Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Everton.

The report added that Espanyol would be willing to accept offers of €35m (£29.7m) for the man described as boasting 'plenty of skill' by ESPN editor David Cartlidge, marking a reduction in his asking price from previous transfer windows.

The lowdown: Smart option

A graduate of Real Madrid’s academy, De Tomas has 129 career goals in 316 outings across senior and youth/reserve team levels, with the well-travelled striker enjoy multiple successful loan spells before seemingly landing at an ideal home in Espanyol.

Sharing stylistic traits with Luis Suarez, Jonathan David and Joao Pedro (FBRef), the £22.5m- valued hitman boasts a well-rounded overall game and level of quality which would be a welcome addition to Moyes' ranks.

De Tomas scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 34 La Liga outings last season, earning an impressive 7.09 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.5 duels, completing 1.5 dribbles and taking 3.1 shots per game.

Signing a centre-forward before the 2022/23 campaign is imperative for the Irons, and the Spaniard certainly ticks plenty of boxes for the east Londoners, particularly at the freshly-mooted reduced asking price.