West Ham United could reportedly hijack Wolves' move for Stoke City central defender Harry Souttar in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: World Cup star

Souttar enjoyed an impressive FIFA World Cup with Australia, where he ranked as their best-performing player as he helped them qualify from their group, before they were knocked out by eventual winners Argentina.

Hailed as 'huge, quick' and an 'absolute monster' of a defender by The Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell after his exploits in Qatar, and 'like superman' by pundit Danny Murphy after a stunning late tackle in a 1-0 win over Tunisia, Souttar is now concentrating in getting Stoke up the league table in the Championship, although he may have earned himself a move to the Premier League in January.

The Latest: West Ham interest

As per TEAMtalk, West Ham could 'threaten' to muscle in on a potential Wolves deal for Souttar, and he is on their 'radar' ahead of January.

David Moyes is thought to be 'keen' to add to his options in the heart of his defence, with favoured pairing Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd no strangers to the treatment room.

Both Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna see their deals expire in the summer as well, so there is too much uncertainty at centre-back for Moyes' liking.

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The Verdict: Centre-back needed

Moyes could do with another centre-back option in January, especially given that they have the UEFA Europa Conference League campaign to contend with on top of the Premier League and FA Cup.

Souttar would surely relish the opportunity of the step up from the Championship, where he has excelled as Stoke's best performer despite missing a large chunk of the season through injury.

The six-foot-six colossus would bring a fear factor to the London Stadium, and at 24 years of age, his best years are still ahead of him.