West Ham would be willing to part company with striker Michail Antonio during the current transfer window - if the club are able to source a viable alternative, KUMB has learnt.
The 32-year-old has been out of form for much of the season which has led David Moyes to consider alternative options as he seeks to lift the club out of the relegation zone.Antonio's situation hasn't been helped by comments he made on the Footballer's Football Podcast earlier this week, in which he suggested that his time at the club may be coming to an end.
"I feel what we've done over the last two years we've thought, 'let's not get complacent, let's get our 40 points'," he told fellow hosts Callum Wilson of Newcastle.
"This year, at the beginning of the season, we were like, 'we were so close to the Champions League last year. We want the Champions League'. We were jumping steps.
"We tried to change our philosophy. You can see, this season, we haven't played the same way we've been playing the last two years. We've changed it slightly. We've brought in players to play through the thirds.
"Over the last couple of years we've not really played much possession football," he continued. "We kind of sat off teams and just countered. Because we've been up there in the top six, everyone up there plays possession football. They keep the ball, try to break teams down and score more free-flowing goals.
"Teams are countering us the way we would have countered them. It's a transition. We're trying to transition to become a bigger team and, I've got to be honest, it ain't working."
Fellow Premier League strugglers Wolves, who are hoping to complete the capture of Craig Dawson have already expressed an interest in signing Antonio, who has spent the last eight years at West Ham following a move from Nottingham Forest on the final day of the 2015 summer transfer window.
And his future at the club has been cast into further doubt with West Ham having agreed a fee with Danny Ings, who is set to undergo a medical ahead of a £12million move from Aston Villa later today [Thursday].
Additionally, KUMB understand the club would be willing to sanction the purchase of a second forward in order to help support the club's battle against the threat of relegation, with Antonio's strike partner Gianluca Scamacca likely to be sidelined for several weeks through injury.
One option, according to KUMB sources is Lorient's Terem Moffi who was the subject of a concrete bid earlier this week. A fee in the region of £25million has been mooted, although the player remains to be convinced that a move to the Premier League would be suitable.
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