West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says he is interested in signing Manchester City forward Wilfried Bony.
Strikers Andy Carroll and record signing Andre Ayew are both injured, with the Croatian manager adding his team “are short of numbers”.
Bony joined Manchester City in January 2015 and has scored 10 goals in 20 starts, but is yet to play this term.
Bilic said the Ivory Coast player, 27, is an option because “he plays in the position we are looking for”.
Bony, who signed for Swansea in 2013 from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, was not included in manager Pep Guardiola’s squad for the Champions League qualifier with Steaua Bucharest.
“He is a good player,” Bilic added. “He is an option because he plays in the position where, even before the injuries, we tried to sign a player.
“We have a couple of players we are trying to do a deal with.”
Bilic was speaking at a press conference before Thursday’s Europa League qualifier second leg against Astra Giurgiu at London Stadium.
The tie stands at 1-1, with West Ham bidding to join Premier League rivals Southampton and Manchester United in Friday’s draw for the group stages.
“We are not going to protect the away goal,” Bilic said. “It gives you an advantage but you cannot hang on for 90 minutes. We will play a normal game.”
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Source: BBC Sport