West Ham are leading the chase to sign Southampton forward Shane Long, according to the latest betting odds.

Leading bookmaker Sky Bet have priced the Hammers as 7/2 favourites to land the signature of the 30-year-old player before September 3.

Behind the London club in the betting list are, Sean Dyche’s Burnley (8/1), along with recently promoted duo Huddersfield (12/1) and Brighton (14/1).

David Wagner’s side beat Reading in the play-off final on Monday to join Brighton and Newcastle in the Premier League for next season.

Republic of Ireland international Long recently endured a difficult season, scoring only three Premier League goals for a Saints team that also struggled to find the back of the net throughout the campaign.

Despite that, Long is still an established and experienced attacker, making 238 appearances in the top flight and scoring 46 goals added with his 24 assists.

Claude Puel’s side finished the season in eighth position, three places and one point above West Ham, who struggled to find form and consistency throughout the campaign.

The London club moved into their new stadium at the start of the season, but they struggled to settle in and suffered a number of heavy defeats, including losing 3-0 against Southampton.

Therefore, it won’t be a surprise to see Slaven Bilic dip into the summer transfer marker in order to get his team back on track.