West Ham United are lining up an attempt sign Arsenal’s Theo Walcott, who is desperate to return to the England national setup ahead of next year’s World Cup.

The Gunners forward bagged 19 goals during the previous campaign, but despite this, he did not look in the best of form. Walcott started the season as one of the first names on the team sheet, but he soon found himself falling down the pecking order with the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez taking up the wider positions.

Walcott has always impressed in certain stages of a particular campaign, and it is this inconsistency which has cost him a regular place with both club and country over the past few years. Walcott warmed the substitutes’ bench during the dying stages of the campaign, where he was more or less not fitting the 3-4-2-1 formation, and this has once again heightened speculation over his future.

The England international has two years left on current contract at the Emirates, and according to The Mirror, the Hammers are looking to lure him to the London Stadium during the summer transfer window. Slaven Bilic is currently on the lookout for a couple pacey forwards to add to his ranks, and Walcott is seemingly leading the list with a £25m fee likely to be sufficient for his services.

Walcott has always envisaged himself playing in the centre-forward position, and he could realise his ambition at the Hammers, who have an injured bunch of strikers to deal with each seasons. The likes of Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho have not managed to overcome their persistent niggles, and Walcott could provide a solution, although he is poor on the aerial side of things. Walcott has been dropped out of recent England squads, and a regular run of games could be key to making his first World Cup since 2006.