West Ham United's pursuit of Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall has been given the backing of former striker Frank McAvennie.

The Hammers have decent depth in their backline, with the likes of Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna, Fabian Balbuena and Craig Dawson to choose from.

But with the Londoners going into the Europa League next season, more players are needed to cope with the demands of Thursday to Sunday football, and Worrall is reportedly being lined up by West Ham after a stellar season in the Championship for Forest.

They could be battling with other Premier League rivals though, with Crystal Palace and Burnley also in the mix according to The Athletic, and it could take a figure of around £10 million to prize him away from Chris Hughton's side.

The 24-year-old is thought to be receptive to a move to Turf Moor which surely means that a switch to West Ham would be an attractive proposition as well - especially with European football on the table - and the potential signing has been given the blessing of former Scotland international McAvennie, who scored 49 league goals in two separate stints for the Irons.

"These boys in the Championship fight for their life. I’m not going to compete with Moyes when it comes to that because he’s different class, he’s good at picking players from there that’s for sure," McAvennie told West Ham Zone.

“Long may it continue, if we can get hold of him then great.

“Moyes will know who to pick, that’s for sure.”

The Verdict

McAvennie may have never seen Worrall play, but he's right in the sense that Moyes has found a knack for bringing in the right players to the London Stadium.

Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma, whilst they were both pretty expensive, were brought in from the level below the Premier League but they've proven to be very useful in the claret shirt.

Would Worrall get regular football though? Moyes seemed to revert to a four defender system towards the end of the season instead of three centre-backs and unless someone is sold then Worrall could realistically be fifth choice at the London Stadium.

It remains to be seen if a bid is made but Worrall will certainly have options this summer if Forest decide to welcome bids.