West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce's search for a new striker has apparently led to him eyeing up a move for Inter Milan's Champions League hero Diego Milito.
In the absence of club-record signing Andy Carroll, who has yet to feature this season due to a heel injury, the Hammers have found the net only 13 times in the Premier League, with their quartet of fit senior attackers, Carlton Cole, Ricardo Vaz Te, Modibo Maiga and Mladen Petric contributing just three of those.
Allardyce is thought to be desperate to add forward reinforcements to his squad when the transfer window reopens, but has reportedly been dealt blows in his attempts to sign either Chelsea's Demba Ba or Tottenham Hotspur's Emmanuel Adebayor on loan.
The Mirror claims that Milito, who has scored twice in three Inter games this term and netted a brace in their Champions League final win over Bayern Munich in 2010, is the latest name to top Allardyce's shortlist, and could be available for a cut-price fee in January.
The 34-year-old's contract at the San Siro expires at the end of the season, and reports in Italy suggest that Inter would be willing to sell him for a reduced price in the New Year to prevent the 25-times capped Argentine international leaving on a free in the summer.
Joe Fish
