Summary
West Ham United have held an “initial discussion” regarding a summer move to bring Ajax star Edson Alvarez to the Premier League, according to reliable journalist Ryan Taylor.
Who is Edson Alvarez?
Alvarez is primarily a defensive midfielder who has plied his trade at the Johan Cruyff Arena since 2019 having moved there from CF America, and he’s been a regular feature ever since having made a total of 147 appearances to date.
The Mexico international does still have another two years to run on his contract, but having established himself as the Eredivisie outfit’s overall best-performing player last season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.34 following the departures of Antony and Dusan Tadic, he’s caught the eye of David Moyes in E20.
Read The Latest West Ham Transfer News HERE…
The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed earlier this month that the Irons had made contact to express their interest in signing the 25-year-old, and whilst an offer is yet to be made, it was reported by the same outlet that one would be on the horizon.
Most recently, Ajax’s sporting director Sven Mislintat publicly admitted during an interview with Aglemeen Dagblad that there was attention surrounding his prized asset, but stated that a replacement would need to be found before sanctioning his sale.
Are West Ham signing Edson Alvarez?
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Taylor claimed that West Ham have talked about the possibility of submitting an official offer for Alvarez who they would likely be able to afford given his acceptable price tag. He said:
“Edson Alvarez, from what I understand, is a target. There has already been initial discussion and, you know, Ajax are a club that have shown a willingness to sell this summer, but it would take a bid of about £35m to get that done from what I understand, which is a fee which is definitely affordable given the Palhinha bid that just went in, but it seems West Ham are a little bit hesitant on that one at the moment.”
Who could Edson Alvarez replace?
West Ham are still yet to replace their former captain Declan Rice following his £105m move to Arsenal so the boss will be in the market to find a suitable successor, and having been dubbed a “monster” by journalist Felipe Cardenas, Alvarez could be the perfect candidate.
The Adidas-sponsored ace last season ranked in the 99th percentile for clearances and aerial wins whilst winning 40 out of his 71 tackles which was the highest success rate throughout the whole of his squad, via FBRef, showing that he’s not afraid to put his body on the line, make a challenge and get stuck in to clear the danger from his area.
Ajax’s talisman, who has the versatility to operate at centre-back and right-back alongside his usual role, also got involved with efforts in the final third having posted six goal contributions (three goals and the same number of assists) in the Eredivisie, so for such a well-rounded player, it would be a massive coup for the Scottish boss to secure his target’s services in the weeks ahead.