West Ham United eye Nice striker Mario Balotelli in January deal?

West Ham United have reportedly identified Nice striker Mario Balotelli as a transfer target for the January window.

The Hammers signed nine players before the summer transfer window closed on August 9, including the likes of Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere.

However, it is understood that newly-appointed manager Manuel Pellegrini is still looking to add an additional centre-forward to his squad before the end of the season.

According to French outlet L'Equipe, the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City striker would be the Chilean's preferred target to replace either Marko Arnautovic or Javier Hernandez in the West Ham starting XI.

The 28-year-old Italy international has scored 33 goals in 51 appearances in Ligue 1 since joining Nice from Liverpool in 2016.