Speaking to Football Insider, a West Ham United source has now dropped an interesting claim involving Burnley defender James Tarkowski.

The Lowdown: Newman eyes new defender...

Angelo Ogbonna's cruel injury blow has now prompted West Ham to weigh January reinforcements at the back, as per reliable reports.

Indeed, The Evening Standard claimed that West Ham manager David Moyes will receive sufficient financial backing to bolster key areas of the squad, namely a new striker, centre-back and possibly Manchester United ace Jesse Lingard.

Ogbonna, a mainstay and one of the few players to start every Premier League game so far under Moyes, injured his anterior cruciate ligament during the 3-2 victory over Liverpool at the London Stadium last weekend.

Links to the likes of Nikola Milenkovic, as well as Championship duo Rob Dickie and Dael Fry, have emerged in the days since that match.

The Latest: Moyes personally eyeing Tarkowski...

As per an Irons source, speaking to Football Insider, Moyes has personally set his sights on another central defender in Burnley ace Tarkowski.

The 28-year-old will apparently be 'on his radar again' in January after multiple attempts were made in past seasons.

This comes as his current club prepare to lower his asking price from £35m to £20m, coming as a potential boost to Moyes, and it is believed the player himself 'would jump at the chance' to join West Ham.

The Verdict: Good option?

Out of West Ham's transfer options, we believe that Tarkowski comes as the next best thing after Milenkovic, mainly because the Serbian is younger (24) with greater potential for sell-on value. However, Calciomercato recently claimed that Fiorentina have deemed their centre-half 'untransferable' mid-season, so perhaps the Hammers should now turn to Tarkowski as an alternative.

Lauded as 'physically superb' by Burnley manager Sean Dyche (The Athletic), the English defender would come as a solid partner for Kurt Zouma.

According to WhoScored, out of West Ham's entire squad this season, only the Frenchman has managed a higher rate of clearances per 90 (5.3) than Tarkowski (5.1) in the Premier League. However, the Clarets man reigns superior over every Irons defender in terms of aerial duels won per 90 on average (four), supporting the view that he is a colossal presence.

As Burnley lower their price tag to £20m, we believe that he could now be an attainable option for West Ham, and one which would greatly reinforce Moyes' backline.

In other news: 'Huge'...Sky pundit thrilled as West Ham eye 'massive signing' for Moyes, find out more here.