West Ham have ended their interest in signing Besiktas striker Demba Ba, reports the London Evening Standard.
The paper suggests that the Hammers and Slaven Bilic had real interest in bringing the Senegalese international back to the club, but have been thwarted by work permit rulings.
The 30-year-old has already confirmed he will be leaving the Turkish side this summer, which only added fuel to the rumours of a possible return.
Here lies the problem – seeing as Senegal have fallen out of the FIFA top 50 in the world rankings, and Ba has not played a sufficient number of international games in the last two years, he does not qualify for a work permit in the UK under the basic rulings, which is a huge stumbling block in any deal which sees him return to England.
However, an appeal can be made under the ‘exceptional talent’ ruling.
Ba signed for Besiktas last summer for a reported £4.5m, and scored 27 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions.
West Ham have also registered their interest in signing AS Monaco forward Lucas Ocampos on loan, as well as leading the chase to sign QPR striker Charlie Austin.
