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Report: West Ham hopeful of signing Shane Duffy; Moyes once predicted he’d be a ‘top’ player

Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United FC via Getty Images
Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United FC via Getty Images
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According to The Guardian, West Ham United are ‘hopeful’ of completing the signing of Brighton and Hove Albion defender Shane Duffy.

It’s claimed that Burnley, Celtic and West Bromwich Albion are also keen on Duffy, but West Ham are hopeful of winning the race.

Previously a mainstay of the Brighton defence, Duffy managed just 12 Premier League starts last season as Adam Webster usurped him.

With Ben White returning to the Seagulls this summer, Duffy may now look to move on, and a move to West Ham would see him reunite with David Moyes.

Moyes was Everton boss during Duffy’s time at Goodison Park, and praised him for an ‘excellent’ performance against Blackburn Rovers in 2012.

In 2016, ex-Everton ace Kevin Kilbane told Off The Ball that Moyes backed Duffy to become a ‘top centre-half’, seeing real potential in him as a kid.

Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Duffy is now 28, just shy of the age Moyes predicted that he would be at his best, and it all may come full circle if the pair reunite.

West Ham have work to do, but with Moyes looking for an experienced Premier League centre back, Duffy ticks the boxes for the Hammers – even more so given their prior relationship.

Shane Duffy of Brighton and Hove Albion reacts during the Premier League match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace at Amex Stadium on November 28, 2017 in Brighton, England. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)