West Ham are interested in Brentford striker Ollie Watkins according to Trevor Sinclair.

The former Hammer made the not-so-subtle claim when speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT.

Waatkins has flourished in a more central role under Thomas Frank, filling the void left by Neal Maupay in the summer.

The former Exeter man has propelled the Bees up to fourth in the Championship this season with 22 goals, catching they eye of many in the top tier including Frank Lampard’s Chelsea according to reports in January.

No known offers were made during the transfer window for the 24-year-old, with the West London outfit likely to re-buff any approach as they saw the forward as vital to their promotion push.

Sinclair, however, revealed that his former side are interested in the player that had been linked to Tottenham and Crystal Palace over the last eight months.

“I believe one of my former clubs are looking at him,” he said.

“He’s not a young player, he’s got great experience.

“He’s a great kid, he’s got that ambition and he knows there’s a bright future for him.

“If he did get the move to the Premier League would he be able to step up to the international squad?”

Watkins recently stated his dream was to play in the Premier League with Brentford, but if they do miss out on promotion there’ll be no shortage of sides looking to lure Watkins to the top tier.

Brentford know they will have little bargaining power in keeping one of their prized assets in West London if they fail to gain promotion, having lost Maupay, Ezri Konsa and Chris Mepham following a successful albeit promotion-free season last season.