West Ham are reportedly in talks with Reims over the transfer of striker Hugo Ekitike.
The 19-year-old attacker was heavily linked with a move to Newcastle United earlier in the transfer window, but the two sides could not come to an agreement over money and the breakdown of the potential fee.
It is understood that Reims would require an offer in excess of £25 million to sell Ekitike before the end of the month with Sky Sports reporting that West Ham are in talks with the French outfit.
Ekitike has eight goals in 18 league games this season along with three assists, his preferred position is as a central striker but he is comfortable playing off the left-wing in an attacking role.
The teenager is seen as a huge prospect in France and received his first France U20 cap earlier this season, he has since been called up to the U21 squad but has yet to make his debut.
Reims would be open to deal for Ekitike if the right price was offered as president Jean-Pierre Caillot admitted last week when talking about the potential deal with Newcastle.
"It is true that many [clubs] now realise the qualities of the player, but not us. He was trained with us and what he does not surprise us," he said.
"Newcastle positioned themselves, we discussed it, [and] they made a proposal which does not suit us. As we don't necessarily want to see him leave, we have set the bar quite high.
"They offered us €35m (£29.1m) in total but with many bonuses, some of which were almost impossible to achieve - like, for example, winning the Champions League. We want €30m (£24.9m) fixed plus €10m (£8.3m) in realisable bonuses."
