How Jamie Vardy could sign for West Ham United as transfer deadline slowly approaches
West Ham United could be set to complete a shock move for veteran striker Jamie Vardy.
Nuno Espirito Santo seems desperate to sign at least one new centre-forward before the summer transfer window shuts.
West Ham are widely reported to be in talks to sign Troy Parrott from AZ Alkmaar.
That would likely be for a Championship-record fee, but the capture of Vardy's signature would come far, far cheaper.
The 39-year-old left English football last summer to sign for Italian side Cremonese.
However, the Leicester City and Premier League legend could now be set for a surprise return to these shores, with the London Stadium his potential destination.
How West Ham currently feel about signing Jamie Vardy
According to a report from Sky Sports on Monday, West Ham are monitoring Vardy's situation.
The Hammers want further competition for Taty Castellanos and Pablo, and are said to be looking to sign a striker in these remaining weeks of the window.
Vardy is now on the free agent market after his contract with Cremonese expired at the end of last season.
He scored 200 goals in 500 career appearances for Leicester, with 145 of those coming in 342 Premier League games.
But do his number from his time with Cremonese suggest the Premier League title-winner would still be a deadly goalscoring option for West Ham?
Why Vardy proved he'd be a smart West Ham signing in 2025-26
Some strikers just have scoring goals in their DNA, and Vardy is absolutely one of them.
Of course, he's no longer the player we've seen tear up the Premier League over the last decade, but the 39-year-old is no longer at the stage of his career where he's required to be the lead striker.
Having him as an alternative to Castellanos and potentially even Parrott would give West Ham the most potent strike force in the Championship, and he wouldn't be a sentimental, shirt-sales-inspired signing for the Hammers either.
Vardy scored seven goals and provided two assists in 29 Serie A appearances last season, which is made even more impressive considering this was done in a relegated Cremonese side.
None of those goals were penalties either, and all but one came from inside the box, proving he's still the fox in the box he's always been.
Remarkably, despite his age, Vardy's 43 defensive contributions and 25 clearances still ranked in the top 9.5 and 7.1 percentiles of all Serie A strikers in 2025-26 - as per FotMob.
So, there lies the proof that Vardy would still have plenty to offer at West Ham, whilst his vast experience, reputation, character and Championship promotion pedigree would all be extremely useful traits to add to Nuno's dressing room.