Forward West Ham reportedly want to sign now left stunned after being dropped by his manager - journalist

West Ham may have signed Niclas Fullkrug to bolster the striker department, although another forward could still arrive.

Julen Lopetegui handed Michail Antonio a start against Aston Villa as the Germany international began life in east London on the bench, but with all due respect to the Jamaica international – West Ham’s record goalscorer in the Premier League on 67 goals – an upgrade could be made after he netted just seven goals last season.

Now, one attacker who TBR Football understand West Ham are keen to sign has now been left “stunned” after suddenly being dropped out of the blue…

Raheem Sterling left shocked at Chelsea amid West Ham links

A post from Alex Crook of talkSPORT states that Raheem Sterling is “stunned” after Enzo Maresca surprisingly dropped the England international for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Manchester City.

The Chelsea No.7’s camp even released a statement to the Daily Mail on the matter, which reads: “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea for the next three years. He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.

“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.

“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.”

It comes after sources informed TBR Football that West Ham would be keen to sign Sterling this summer if he became available – something that now seems quite possible after Maresca’s bold decision.

A move would surely be very expensive for West Ham

As Sterling’s camp made clear in the statement, the man from Kingston still has three years remaining on his £325,000-a-week contract.

That is a huge salary for West Ham to pay, so for a start, the England international would surely have to take a massive pay cut in order for a move to the London Stadium to materialise.

West Ham’s current highest earner is Lucas Paqueta, who makes £150,000-a-week in east London, to provide some context.

Chelsea also paid £50m for Sterling, so the Blues would presumably like to receive a large chunk of that sum back if bridges between the two parties become well and truly burned after Maresca’s decision.

READ MORE: Chris Sutton says West Ham have made a “very underrated” signing this summer

Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Sterling and his camp await a response as to why he was dropped for Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against Manchester City.