West Ham still in talks for £45m-rated La Liga striker

West Ham are still in talks to sign Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez this month, claims Sky Sports.

The Hammers identified Gomez as their ideal replacement for Marko Arnautovic when he was heavily linked with a big money move to China.

Interest from the Chinese Super League has since cooled and Arnautovic appears set to remain at the club for the rest of the season.

However, that news hasn’t put an end to West Ham’s interest in Gomez, though they are having difficulty negotiating a lower fee with their Spanish counterparts.

Money also proved an issue in West Ham’s pursuit of Gomez last summer and the 22-year-old has a release clause of £45m in his existing Celta deal.

It means that West Ham face the prospect of breaking their transfer record for the second time this season after shelling out £35m to sign Felipe Anderson from Lazio.

Gomez has played a direct hand in 35 goals in 54 La Liga appearances since the beginning of last season (26 goals, nine assists).