West Ham want to sign Bournemouth's Joshua King – but not for £17.5m

West Ham’s hopes of signing Joshua King depend on Bournemouth lowering their asking price for the striker. King, who is currently away on international duty with Norway, is keen on a move back to the Premier League following relegation with Bournemouth and has held talks with David Moyes’s side before next Friday’s deadline for deals between clubs in the Championship and top flight.

West Ham are yet to make a formal bid for King and are weighing up whether to pay £17.5m for a player with less than a year left on his deal. They believe that Bournemouth should accept a lower fee as the 28-year-old, who was the subject of a £25m bid from his former club Manchester United in January, can start talking to suitors about signing a pre-contract from January. Another sticking point could be King’s wage demands.

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Moyes is keen to strengthen his forward line after the exits of Felipe Anderson and Grady Diangana to Porto and West Bromwich Albion respectively. West Brom are also interested in King but could struggle to meet Bournemouth’s asking price. Huddersfield’s Karlan Grant has been on West Brom’s radar for some time and Slaven Bilic’s need for a striker has intensified after Hal Robson-Kanu sustained a broken arm in the defeat at Southampton.

Last week, Bournemouth rejected a €7m bid from Serie A Torino for King but the forward is keen to return to the English top flight. He is understood to be keen to play as a No 9, as opposed to operating as a wide forward, a role he has previously played at Bournemouth. King, who attracted interest from Aston Villa in the summer, has played just 23 minutes in the Championship for Bournemouth. He is one of the club’s highest earners but a wage reduction clause was activated following relegation.

West Ham are also keen to strengthen in defence and have an interest in the Swansea defender Joe Rodon. However Tottenham are favourites to sign the Wales defender and are expected to ramp up their attempts to complete a deal for him in the coming days. Swansea are likely to demand £18m for the centre-back, who came through their academy, and could ask Spurs to loan him back to them for the rest of the season.

West Ham could move for Watford’s Craig Dawson if they miss out on Rodon. Dawson would cost around £4m and is keen to leave following Watford’s relegation to the Championship.