West Ham United can sign a higher calibre of player this summer with money to spend and European football to offer, yet it might well be a Nottingham Forest player they go after in terms of attacking options.

Are West Ham United interested in signing Brennan Johnson?

According to The Athletic, West Ham are "monitoring" Brennan Johnson's situation at Forest, who are said to be willing to cash in on one of their prized assets if the right offer is tabled.

Johnson has adapted well to the Premier League, has three years to run on his contract and is also attracting interest from the likes of Everton, Aston Villa and Brentford, meaning Forest will not sell on the cheap.

Indeed, the report indicates that the £30m bid mooted by Brentford could fall as much as £20m short of the Reds' asking price for the Wales international.

What can Brennan Johnson bring to West Ham United?

That reputed £50m valuation will certainly make West Ham think twice, but Johnson's time at Forest does suggest he is a possible superstar in the making, one that is on a similar trajectory to former international colleague Gareth Bale.

Once described as an "unbelievable asset" by Wales boss Rob Page, Johnson can be pleased with his return of eight goals and three assists in his debut top-flight campaign – only Morgan Gibbs-White (13) could better those 11 direct goal involvements among Forest players.

With 0.34 goal involvements per 90 last season, as per FBref, Johnson ranked higher than the likes of Jarrod Bowen (0.31), Lucas Paqueta (0.29), Gianluca Scamacca (0.29) and Pablo Fornals (0.24) among West Ham players.

That came on the back of a season in which the 22-year-old scored 18 goals and set up 10 in helping Forest to promotion to the Premier League, seeing him crowned the Championship's Young Player of the Season.

It is not just in terms of goals and assists in which Johnson stands out, either.

The Welshman registered 2.70 progressive carries per 90 minutes last season – defined as carrying the ball at least 10 yards towards the opponent's goal – which was bettered by only three West Ham players.

Some may look down on signing a player from Forest, one of their relegation rivals last season, rather than exploring the European market for a bigger name. But it is not like West Ham have not had joy signing players from Forest down the years.

Look no further than Michail Antonio, who has been a huge fan favourite in east London since joining from the Reds in 2015.

The winger-cum-striker has made 276 appearances for the Irons and has scored 75 goals, with 61 of those coming in the Premier League to make him their record scorer in the competition.

Antonio scored eight goals and assisted three in his first season at Premier League level in 2015-16, incidentally, which is the exact number Johnson managed in his debut season in the competition with Forest.

West Ham signed Antonio for a far smaller fee of roughly £7m, but in the current market, and with Johnson only just turning 22, the versatile forward may well be worth the punt.