Paul Robinson says signing Luka Jovic would be too great a risk for West Ham United after news emerged of the Hammers' interest.
The former Totttenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper was speaking to Football Insider.
The lowdown: Jovic a target
Jovic has recently been linked as a target for GSB, as well as their London rivals Arsenal.
Having spent the second half of last season back on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, he's played only 32 minutes across Real Madrid's seven La Liga fixtures.
He scored four goals in eight Bundesliga starts during his stint at Frankfurt and has netted six times in 17 caps for Serbia (via Transfermarkt).
David Moyes publicly stated during the transfer window that he felt cover was needed for Michail Antonio up front, but West Ham were unable to sign a striker.
The latest: Haller all over again
Robinson fears that West Ham could repeat their Sebastien Haller mistake by signing Jovic.
Haller, Jovic's strike partner at Frankfurt, moved to the London Stadium for a club-record £45million in 2019 but wound up leaving midway through last season after scoring only 14 goals in 54 outings.
"I have not seen too much from him over the past couple of seasons," he said.
"I think it would be a risk in all honesty. They took a risk with Haller and it backfired."
Instead, Robinson thinks they should prioritise domestic targets, but he did warn that they faced a difficult task.
"I think they should go for a more proven striker, perhaps someone who has scored goals in the Premier League to provide cover and competition for [Michail] Antonio.
"It is a hard sell though. How do you convince someone to come in when they are going to be sitting on the bench if Antonio is fit."
The verdict: Better options
Even though he's playing in a lower-quality league, Genk's Paul Onuachu looks a more sensible option for West Ham.
With Jovic, you not only need him to recover his confidence, but you'll also need to foot his whopping £175,000-per-week salary.
To provide some context, West Ham's top earner at present is thought to be Kurt Zouma on £120,000.
In other news, read this source's January swoop claim.