West Ham co-owner: Club could sign 'overseas' striker on loan

To see a list of completed deals in the January window thus far, visit theScore's Premier League transfer tracker.

West Ham could sign a striker on loan from a "strange league" within the next week of the January transfer window, but co-owner David Sullivan won't reveal the identity of his target.

"We are looking, long term, for a 20-goal-a-season striker," Sullivan told Sky Sports. "There's the possibility that a striker will come in on loan, with the option to buy, within the next seven days. He's an overseas striker."

West Ham has struggled to get goals on a consistent basis from its forwards. For starters, midfielder Dimitri Payet led West Ham in Premier League markers before suffering an ankle injury on Nov. 7, and returned in January without losing his place as the club's top scorer.

Andy Carroll, who recently rediscovered his scoring touch with strikes against Southampton and Liverpool, also went down with a hamstring problem that could keep him out of the lineup until mid-February.

The nature of Sullivan's admission suggests West Ham is targeting Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato, who's itching for a move from Brazil after a career year on loan last season at Sao Paulo.

As a result, the odds of Pato signing with West Ham have now dropped to 3/1.

"I told you, you wouldn't believe it. I can't tell you which league because then you'll know exactly who it is," Sullivan said. "We are signing from a very strange league. But he has played in higher leagues."