West Ham United are in the hunt for a new centre-back this summer.

It is clear that this is one of new manager Manuel Pellegrini's first priorities and the East London club have been linked with Barcelona defender Marlon Santos, Toulouse youngster Issa Diop and Swansea City star Alfie Mawson.

But should the Hammers be considering Reading defender Liam Moore instead?

Here, we shine a spotlight on Moore's 2017/18 season at struggling Reading and weigh up whether West Ham should swoop.

Moore was an ever-present for the Royals at the back, playing in all 46 Championship matches under both Jaap Stam and Paul Clement.

During that time, the former Leicester City man established himself as one of the finest defenders in the division, winning 4.6 aerial duels per game on average and making more than 50 passes per match at a highly impressive success rate of 82.5 per cent.

The 25-year-old is relatively young for a centre-back but he has plenty of good experience already, having played over 200 senior games with most of them being in the top two divisions.

While he is already shining in the Championship despite Reading's struggles, he still has scope to improve and get better as he matures.

The Championship is a market West Ham have had a lot of joy from in recent years with players like Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio joining from the second tier and going on to play starring roles at The London Stadium.

If West Ham are looking for a centre-back, perhaps they should consider Moore instead of Mawson because they are a similar age and have a similar talent but the Reading star is likely to be cheaper and he provides leadership at the back.

Both Moore and Mawson are viable options but the Irons should definitely consider the former England under-21 international if Swansea try to push Mawson's price above £20m.