West Ham United have joined the race to sign Attila Szalai after Sevilla director Monchi expressed his interest in the £23 million-rated Fenerbahce defender, as reported by A Spor.
About a month ago, David Moyes’ back line was being talked about as one of the most reliable in Europe.
Things change quickly in football, however, and suddenly West Ham’s biggest strength is starting to look like a weakness. The London giants have conceded 11 goals in their past five league games, with even the reliable Craig Dawson and Lukasz Fabianski committing high-profile blunders.
And, with Fabian Balbuena expected to leave when his contract expires this summer, West Ham are suddenly in the market for a new central defender.
A Spor claims Szalai, the suddenly coveted Hungary international, is a £23 million target.
Szalai only joined Fenerbahce from Apollon Limassol four months ago and, after outshining Mesut Ozil in Istanbul, has already been linked with the likes of Leicester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle United (Blikk).
“It’s a huge tribute to my son that he has talked to teams of this level. We have been working since he was a child to get to this level,” his father said a few weeks ago.
A Spor believes Sevilla’s legendary sporting director Monchi – a man who discovered the likes of Dani Alves, Ivan Rakitic, Carlos Bacca and Jules Kounde – is also sniffing around.
You would imagine he views Szalai, a bone-crunching, commanding centre-back, as another of those classic Sevilla signings – signed on the (relative) cheap then sold for a major profit.
And Monchi doesn’t usually get those wrong.
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