Valencia hopeful on securing a deal for Javier Hernandez

Valencia are on the verge of securing a cut price deal for West Ham striker Javier Hernandez, within the La Liga January transfer window, according to media reports in Spain.

Hernandez, 30, has slipped down the pecking order at the London Stadium, and now the Mexican international looks to be heading for the exit.

However any move for the former Manchester United forward is dependent on the movement of other players, involving both The Hammers and Marcelino’s Valencia.

The La Liga side confirmed that Michy Batshuayi’s loan move at the club has been terminated earlier than anticipated, and they are not hopeful in securing a permanent deal for the Belgian international – with other clubs already negotiating with Chelsea for his signature.

Following that situation, Valencia have turned their attention to Hernadez, who enjoyed a memorable loan spell at Real Madrid during the 2014-15 campaign.

However they are being made to wait by the West London club, who are waiting to see if Marko Arnautovic makes a big money move to China before the end of the month.

If he departs, West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini could then look to keep Hernandez, unless he can sign a replacement for Austrian international Arnautovic before the transfer window closes.

Hernandez has struggled on his return to the Premier League, since in 2017 following a spell in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, however he still has the goal scoring instinct that Valencia have sorely lacked so far this season.

Kevin Gameiro came into the club over the summer from Atletico Madrid, to fill the gap left by Simone Zaza, who left for Italy.

However he has netted just twice in league action so far in 2018-19, with Rodrigo Moreno and Santi Mina, who scored 16 and 12 league goals respectively last season, also scoring two each this season.

The need for an established goal scorer is very clear, with Valencia scoring more than two goals in a La Liga game on just one occasion this season, and Hernandez would offer a freshness and pace to a side severely lacking in confidence going forward.

There are also doubts over Marcelino’s future at the club, as after guiding the club to a fourth place finish in 2017-18, an inconsistent first half to this season sees them down in 11th place.