West Ham’s first move in the January transfer window could be a midfield fix, Claret & Hugh has learnt this morning.

New Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo is still assessing his squad, but he would undoubtedly have discussed the January transfer budget before accepting the job.

West Ham target? Forest could be persuaded to let Sangare leave

And his first move could be to land his former Nottingham Forest player – and summer transfer target – Ibrahim Sangaré. A top transfer insider with experience in multiple deals told C&H: “Nuno did not want to play Douglas Luiz at Forest, which was part of the problem. Part of the disagreement with [Forest owner Evangelos] Marinakis was that Nuno did not want Sangaré to be sold. So yeah, he could look to bring him to West Ham.”

West Ham came close to signing the 27-year-old Ivorian in the summer on a loan deal, but the two clubs failed to agree on an obligation-to-buy fee. With Sangaré expected to feature less under Ange Postecoglou, a January move could now be back on the table.