West Ham will look to solve their defensive woes with a summer move for Sunderland defender Lamine Kone, reports The Daily Mirror.
The Hammers are expected for a busy summer following their incredibly underwhelming debut campaign in their new stadium with their defence an area of major strengthening.
As well as eyeing up moves for out of contract Manchester City full-backs Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta, West Ham will move for Kone after missing out on his signature last summer.
Sunderland manager David Moyes refused to let Kone leave at the start of the season and even convinced the Ivory Coast international to sign a new five-year deal in September but it will be difficult to keep the defender if they are relegated this season.
The Black Cats are bottom of the Premier League and 10 points adrift of safety with just seven games remaining, with relegation now a foregone conclusion.
Kone ranks among the top 10 for clearances per game in the Premier League this season (7.1).
For more stats on Lamine Kone, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
