West Ham United are reportedly interested in Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez as a potential replacement for Arsenal-bound Declan Rice.
That’s according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who claims that David Moyes’s side have contacted the Dutch giants about the Mexican midfielder, with an offer reportedly in the pipeline.
That same report claims that Ajax value the midfielder at £35-40 million with West Ham desperate for a replacement for Rice, who is set to join Arsenal this summer.
Alvarez predominantly has been deployed as the deepest midfielder for the Dutch side but can operate as a centre-back, which is something he has done throughout his professional career.
The Mexican featured twice in the World Cup in Qatar, but Mexico were disappointing as they were eliminated in the group stages of the competition.
Edson Alvarez would be a superb signing for West Ham
Alvarez was the subject of a £42 million bid last summer from Chelsea, according to ESPN, with Ajax having a major clearout.
With Erik ten Hag leaving the Dutch club to join Manchester United, Alvarez wanted to follow suit.
Brazilian winger Antony, along with Lisandro Martinez and Sebastian Haller, all left the club and Alvarez wanted to leave, but Chelsea, having had that bad rejected by the Dutch side, failed to return with another offer. As a result of this, Alvarez decided to stay at Ajax.
Alvarez isn’t a profile that you could relate to Declan Rice.
His passing and his defensive statistics are superb, like Rice, but unlike Rice, he isn’t the best at pushing forward and driving his team on.
Nevertheless, Alvarez is a superb midfielder with attributes that Moyes would love but, if he were to join, the Hammers may need another midfielder.
If the rumours linking Scott Mctominay, a midfielder more than capable of driving with the ball in midfield, to West Ham were true, then he would be a superb player alongside Alvarez.
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