West Ham United reportedly want a new striker to boost their Premier League hopes.
Nicolas Castillo scored 24 goals in 32 Liga MX games for Pumas UNAM last season so Benfica looked to have pulled off a coup when they signed the red-hot striker for just £6 million in the summer.
But the Chilean international has barely had a look in since arriving at the Portuguese giants. Castillo has endured injury problems in his early Benfica career and, even when fit, has struggled to force his way into Rui Vitoria’s side.
In all competitions, Castillo has played just four times. But could he be offered an escape route just a few months after arriving in Lisbon?
According to Record, West Ham United are interested in signing the out-of-favour 25-year-old. Interestingly, the report adds that Castillo’s agents met with manager Manuel Pellegrini this week, so could the Chilean join his compatriot at the London Stadium?
West Ham seem keen to sign a centre-forward in January with Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez struggling for opportunities under the former Manchester City and Real Madrid coach in recent months.
16-cap international Castillo has had spells in Germany, Italy and Belgium but he scored just 10 goals in a combined 37 games for Club Brugge, Mainz and Frosinone.
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