West Ham United are reportedly readying a £10million bid but they should go straight in with £15milion and get the deal done.
According to a report from the Daily Star, West Ham United are planning to make an opening bid of £10million for Manchester United defender Chris Smalling this summer, but the Hammers should get a deal sorted as soon as possible, with other clubs likely to try their hand following a somewhat harsh call by Jose Mourinho.
The signing of Victor Lindelof has reportedly pushed Smalling towards the Old Trafford exit, with United rating the 27-year-old at £15million.
That is a snip for a player who could instantly and dramatically improve West Ham’s defence, allowing them to focus on new strikers for the majority of the transfer window.
Even with Lindelof arriving at United, it is very harsh to send Smalling packing, with the England international performing admirably more often than not, always willing to put his body on the line and possessing an innate technical ability to excel in the heart of defence.
In an otherwise inflated market, Smalling’s £15million price-tag is a bargain and West Ham should not be wasting time haggling over the price.
They have missed out on transfer targets in the past by delaying and there are concerns the same could happen this season with their impressive but so far unattainable striker targets.
Smalling’s signing would be smart but it needs to be swift, with the player who has racked up 243 appearances for United unlikely to be on the shelf for long.
United should not be selling him, but West Ham should certainly be signing him before someone else beats them to the punch.
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