Ajax coach Maurice Steijn has confirmed that Edson Alvarez is on the verge of ‘completing’ his £35 million move to Premier League outfit West Ham United.
Hammers fans probably know all about the rather hit-and-miss schedule of London buses. And there may be a rather familiar feel to the final month of the window, should Edson Alvarez suddenly kick-start a string of new signings at a club who have been forced to wait until August 8th to make a breakthrough in their transfer plans.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Mexico international is on his way to England, pictured on a private jet with West Ham director Tim Steidten.
The Hammers are reportedly paying £35 million for Alvarez’s services (BBC Sport).
And Ajax’s new head coach will have to find a way to move on from the former Club America ace, even if he admits that the Eredivisie giants do not currently have a readymade replacement in their ranks.
West Ham on verge of Edson Alvarez deal with Ajax
“He is completing the last bumps of the transfer,” Steijn tells ESPN.
“Can he be replaced? We still have to look at that. In principle, we don’t really have such a player yet who really takes care of the balance.”
Alvarez, a more deep-lying, defensively-minded midfielder than the departed Declan Rice, could be the perfect foil for a Scott McTominay, a James Ward-Prowse, a Denis Zakaria or a Conor Gallagher; allowing one of the aforementioned quintet to best utilise their box-to-box tendencies.
“If you lose quality players, we have to strengthen the squad,” adds Ajax director Sven Mislintat.
“We do that continuously. But it is also difficult for Ajax. There is a lot of interest from clubs in the Premier League, for example.
“It is difficult for Maurice to deal with all the rumours and stay focused.”
West Ham, according to The Athletic, are also looking to bring in both McTominay and Harry Maguire from Manchester United alongside Alvarez; the £105 million earned via Rice’s sale finally being re-invested into Moyes’ squad.
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