West Ham can snap up January target Niklas Stark for free in the summer.

A new report from Kicker claims that the Hertha Berlin defender is set to leave the Bundesliga club for nothing at the end of the season.

He is currently Hertha’s vice-captain but the club are said to have made a decision to move Stark on, as they want him off their wage bill.

Stark is 26 and has been with the German club since 2015, making 193 appearances for them, and also winning two caps for Germany.

Hertha are currently 16th in the Bundesliga, meaning they face a relegation play-off, and they are said to be willing to let him leave at the end of the season.

There were reports in January suggesting that West Ham could swoop to sign the defender, although no deal was done, and it could be revisited in the summer, with the Irons having spoken to his agent.