Edson Alvarez’s camp are awaiting West Ham United to make their move after the Premier League linked midfielder saw a move to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund fall through.
Finding a midfielder capable of replicating Declan Rice’s remarkably well-rounded skillset may be nigh-on impossible. Even for a club who will soon having a £100 million wad of cash burning a hole in their back pockets.
So perhaps West Ham will instead attempt to fill a Rice-shaped hole with two players, rather than just one. Edson Alvarez to do the defensive side of the Arsenal-bound captain’s game, with a James Ward-Prowse, a Denis Zakaria or a Youssouf Fofana doing the box-to-box role next to him.
Alvarez, a centre-half turned ‘number six’, is valued at around £35 million. That would leave around £60 million of the Rice windfall remaining to bring in a more advanced, attack-minded midfielder too.
West Ham could land Edson Alvarez
According to Dutch publication Algemeen Dagblad, the experienced Mexico international is now awaiting an offer from West Ham after a proposed £35 million move to Borussia Dortmund fell through last week.
“Understand Borussia Dortmund have now pulled out of the race to sign Edson Alvarez,” Fabrizio Romano writes on Twitter. “Despite agreeing personal terms with the Mexican last week.
“BVB intend to proceed with Emre Can as their defensive midfielder, and go for different players in the midfield now.”
Alvarez has made no secret of his desire to leave Ajax. He tried and failed to force through a move to Chelsea last summer, and is again eyeing up a move away as he looks to prove himself in a ‘top five’ European league.
Whether West Ham are willing to meet Ajax’s lofty asking price, however, remains to be seen.
The Guardian reported in June that the Hammers are big fans of both Alvarez and Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes, but were hoping to barter down the price-tags of either player.
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