West Ham have joined the race to sign Burnley forward Chris Wood, as revealed by Football Insider.

What's the latest news on Chris Wood?

Wood has been attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs, with Aston Villa and Everton also keen on the 29-year-old.

Now, West Ham are monitoring the striker as David Moyes is believed to be impressed by Wood's physicality and finishing ability.

It is understood that Burnley would demand £30m in order to let him leave, and this fee could rise to £40m if multiple clubs put offers on the table for Wood.

What were Wood's stats this season?

The New Zealand international finished the 2020/21 season with 12 league goals to his name (via WhoScored). For context, no other Burnley player managed more than three in the top-flight.

With the team finishing down in 17th place, it could be argued that Wood's goals kept Burnley in the division. 

There is no doubting one of his key strengths - heading. According to WhoScored, he won 4.7 aerial duels per match, putting him in second place in this category for Burnley behind Jimmy Dunne (7.7) who only made three league appearances. Tomas Soucek (6.2) is the only West Ham player who could better Wood's number.

How has Wood performed against West Ham?

Extraordinarily well.

In his 10 career matches against the Hammers, Wood has produced nine goal contributions. He found the net against Moyes' men in his latest outing as well, although West Ham did manage to fight back to win the game 2-1 at Turf Moor last month.

His most memorable appearance against the Irons came in March 2018, when he arrived off the bench to score twice in a 3-0 victory for Burnley at the London Stadium. This triggered an emotional reaction from some of West Ham's fans who invaded the pitch to protest against the club's owners.

Would signing Wood be a good move by West Ham?

Ever since they sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax in January, it has been clear that West Ham do need to bring in another striker to help Michail Antonio carry the burden up front. 

Wood is a proven goalscorer, having netted at least 10 goals in each of his four Premier League campaigns, so it seems that he would guarantee goals if he moved to east London.

However, there may be concerns about Wood's price-tag and his age. He turns 30 at the end of the year, and West Ham could have to pay as much as £40m to get him out of Burnley this summer.

Tammy Abraham has also been linked with West Ham, and Chelsea are believed to value him at £40m. Given that Abraham is six years younger than Wood, and has scored only five fewer league goals than him over the last two seasons, Moyes may be better off looking at the bigger picture and going after someone who can deliver for him for years to come rather than bringing in someone who is a short-term solution to West Ham's lack of depth in attack.