West Ham United were heavily linked with a move for Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke over the summer, and a journalist has now shared the chances of him joining in January.

The stats that show why West Ham want Solanke

Back in 2019, Solanke put pen to paper on the south coast from Premier League rivals Liverpool, and during his four years at the club, he’s gone on to become a regular feature of the squad, having made 193 appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Solanke statistics).

The Cherries striker has firmly established himself as Andoni Iraola’s best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Bournemouth statistics), already notching up his best top flight goals tally in a season with eight.

Number Of Appearances

16

Shots Per Game

3

Aerial Wins Per Game

1.8

Dribbles Per Game

1.1

England’s former international was the subject of an enquiry and even an offer from the Irons during the previous transfer window, and while that proposal was swiftly rejected, that hasn’t stopped chiefs from wanting to take a second bite of the cherry. According to The Mirror, David Moyes’ side are preparing an improved bid for the 26-year-old ahead of the new year, but if the following update is to be believed, it won’t be an easy task to prise him away from the Vitality Stadium.

Fabrizio Romano says Hammers still "tracking" Solanke

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that West Ham remain interested in Solanke, but as it stands, he’s more than happy at Bournemouth.

“I’ve been impressed with him this season as he always looked like an excellent player with great potential, but he’s now showing it more consistently. In terms of a transfer, he’s happy at Bournemouth but many clubs are tracking him, including West Ham. Let’s see what will happen, but for the moment I understand he’s happy there and performing very well.”

In the Premier League this season, Solanke has posted nine involvements (eight goals and one assist) in 16 appearances, showing how prolific he can be in the final third, but he’s constantly posing a threat to the opposition’s defence no matter if he hits the back of the net.

The Reading-born talent has recorded 48 shots over the course of the current campaign which is more than any of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Bournemouth statistics), highlighting how much he stands out in the attacking areas compared to his peers.

Sponsored by Adidas, the centre-forward is also a versatile operator having been deployed in five different positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even as an attacking midfielder, which will be yet another attractive attribute and reason why he's been on the radar for so long.

Standing at 6 foot 2, Solanke could be an ideal target man with his height up top and would be able to provide a real physical presence, making himself a handful to deal with, so should the opportunity present itself, the manager shouldn’t have to think twice about trying to get this deal over the line.