Summary West Ham are looking at signing a striker alongside Ajax superstar Mohammed Kudus. It could be a bargain move in comparison to Gianluca Scamacca. He's a 'cult-hero' who has scored plenty of important goals throughout his career.

Gianluca Scamacca was the latest striker to flop in a West Ham United shirt and following his €25m (£21m) sale to Serie A side Atalanta, the Hammers are in the market for another forward.

It won't be difficult for his replacement to have a bigger impact in east London, though. After costing the club a whopping €40m (£35.5m) last summer, Scamacca would go on to return just three goals in 16 Premier League matches.

With David Moyes gearing up for another campaign in the Europa League, West Ham are eyeing up a move for a striker who has tremendous European experience, winning the Champions League with Liverpool in 2019 and scoring in the final.

West Ham transfer news – What's the latest?

The latest reports are linking Divock Origi with a move to West Ham.

According to Tutto Mercato Web, AC Milan's want-away striker has turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, showcasing his desire to return to the Premier League and become an instant hit in east London.

Valued at £7m by Football Transfers, Origi's stock has fallen since joining Milan, appearing 36 times for the club but only scoring twice.

With the 28-year-old deemed surplus to requirements by Stefano Poli, the prospect of a European adventure at the Hammers could offer the Belgium international a chance to resurrect his career.

Would Divock Origi succeed at West Ham?

Despite not starting as much as he would have liked during his time at Liverpool, Origi will be remembered for scoring some of the most crucial goals in the club's history, often from the bench.

Many lauded the Belgian as a "cult hero" for the crucial goals he scored, including presenter Laura Woods, who praised Origi for his ability to pop up when it matters, namely a stoppage winner in the Merseyside derby and the strike against Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final.

In 175 appearances for the Reds, Origi scored 41 goals and although that isn't a prolific record by any means, most of his contributions came from the bench.

After departing the club on a free transfer to AC Milan last summer, the "tremendous finisher", as described by former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, the Belgian would have hoped that regular chances to feature in Serie A could have seen him demonstrate his deadly finishing attributes on a regular basis.

While that move failed to take off as he would have liked, a return to the Premier League can see Origi become a livewire at West Ham and recent numbers back up that claim.

The 6 foot 2 marksman averaged 2.10 progressive carries, 1.31 successful take-ons and 1.14 carries into the penalty area per 90 in the Serie A last season, via FBref.

Since David Moyes operates with a lone striker, it's imperative that they're physically imposing, strong at holding the ball up and intelligent enough to run the channels. Based on the numbers above, Origi fits that profile perfectly and if they can secure a deal for Mohammed Kudus from Ajax, who is another reported target, then the pair could become a deadly duo in the Hammers forward line.

Kudus would offer an exceptional supply line in behind the Belgian having ranked in the top 5% for his long pass completion, successful take-ons and non-penalty xG per 90 when compared against his positional peers in the Dutch top-flight, via FBref.

While the profile of West Ham's recent striker signings have struggled to adapt to the demands of English football, Origi is already Premier League proven and could be exactly what Moyes needs.

Combine him with the Ajax sensation and the Hammers would surely become a much larger threat in the final third.