West Ham boss Slaven Bilic admits they fancied signing Everton striker Sandro Ramirez.

The former Malaga striker joined the Toffees in a bargain £5.2million deal in July when Everton activated his release clause.

“Ramirez from Malaga came in, he was in Barcelona and we wanted him but he chose Everton," Bilic said in an interview with Slobodna Dalmacija.

The 22-year-old has been tasked with leading the line for Everton since the departure of Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United in a £75m deal this summer.

However Bilic, who spent two years playing at Everton after departing West Ham in 1997, sees few similarities between the two.

“He is a quick player and has no traits like Lukaku," he added. “They lost [Lukaku's] strength, but gained [Ramirez's] speed."