West Ham are reportedly set to challenge QPR and Inter Milan in their interest in 33-year-old striker Samuel Eto'o, following his release from Chelsea at the end of last season.
Manager Sam Allardyce is rumoured to be unhappy with the capture of Argentine forward Mauro Zárate, and wants another striker to bolster his squad following another injury to England hitman Andy Carroll.
Eto'o scored 12 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea last season and is nearing the end of an illustrious career in which he has won three Champions Leagues and four league titles, as well as an Olympic gold medal in 2000. His reputation goes before him and he is still very much in demand with plenty of interest from across Europe, with Tottenham Hotspur also reported to be interested in the ageing forward. Due to an apparent desire to stay in London after an unsettled spell in Russia with Anzhi Makhachkala Eto'o had been in talks with QPR, but Harry Redknapp was said to be left unimpressed with Eto'o's excessive wage demands.
Carroll is potentially facing four months on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury on a pre-season tour of New Zealand, so the Hammers are in need of someone who can guarantee them goals - their top scorer last season was Kevin Nolan, with a paltry seven goals. Eto'o had been linked with a return to Serie A and contact was made with agent Claudio Vigorelli by former employers Inter as far back as April, but early interest doesn't appear to have materialised into anything more substantial than rumour, so Eto'o looks destined to remain in the Premier League for at least another year.
With Zárate, Aaron Cresswell, Cheikhou Kouyaté, Diego Poyet and £12million man Enner Valencia already confirmed to be plying their trade at Upton Park next year, the Hammers are looking for a sixth addition to their squad and may well continue spending as Allardyce looks to build on last season's 13th-place finish; provided he makes it to the start of the season with his job intact.