It appears Slaven Bilic and the club are extremely eager to bring Jermain Defoe back to East London this January.
BBC Sport reported a couple of days ago that Sunderland had rejected an initial £6m bid for the 34-year-old but it is being widely reported that we’re ready to go back in with a bigger before the month is over.
It would certainly be an interesting signing for us after the striker did all he could to force his way out of the club as a youngster following our relegation to Division One back in 2003. He eventually move to Tottenham in January 2004 for £7m and his career has since been a huge success.
His exit from the club left a bitter taste in the mouths of West Ham fans – Defoe handed in a transfer request the day after our relegation from the Premier League and then was sent off three times in 12 appearances in what appeared to be an obvious attempt at trying to force a move back to the top-flight.
But our lack of goals this season has subsequently led to the club seeking a prolific goal scorer this January and Defoe certainly fits that mould, having already scored 11 goals for the Black Cats in the Premier League this season.
During his first spell at the club between 2000 and 2003, Defoe netted 41 goals in 105 appearances in all competitions, and has since scored prolifically for Tottenham, Portsmouth, Toronto FC and now Sunderland.
But at 34-years-old, the former England international doesn’t exactly have many years left at the very top, meaning a large transfer fee may not necessarily prove to be good business in the long run.
It would certainly be something of a fairytale story for Defoe, whose career would go full circle if he re-signs for the club and presumably ends his career where it all began for him.
So what do you think? Would signing Jermain Defoe be a good move for us this summer? Vote in the poll below and leave your comments section underneath…