Aston Villa twist emerges in West Ham United pursuit of Peterborough defender Ronnie Edwards

Aston Villa are set to join West Ham and Crystal Palace in the race for Peterborough youngster Ronnie Edwards, according to Mail on Sunday.

The national newspaper reported [7 January, page 100] that Unai Emery's Villa are the next Premier League side interested in the 20-year-old defender, with the Hammers and Crystal Palace already keeping tabs.

It is understood that Roy Hodgson's side has seen three bids rejected by The Posh for one of their most important players, who has started all 25 of their League One matches this season.

If you're good enough, you're old enough

Edwards represents an incredible opportunity to field a hole in West Ham's defence, especially after the loan exit of Thilo Kehrer.

And although the young defender is only 20 years old, little will faze him, boasting over a century of appearances for Peterborough and a handful of England U20s caps at international level.

The League One outlet will be reluctant to let Edwards depart Weston Homes Stadium during the January transfer window. And it may take a lot to persuade both the player and the club to make the transfer.

The Posh sit in third in the League One table, most recently completing a 3-2 comeback over Derby County, leapfrogging the Rams and taking another step closer to the automatic promotion spots.

Peterborough are deploying an extremely young defence, which makes their performances all the more impressive, with 26-year-old Josh Knight the most senior player in the backline.

With 117 appearances since moving from Barnet in 2020, Edwards could be an exciting move for West Ham, whose defence is beginning to age and that will be a worry for David Moyes.

However, the implication of Villa's interest in the player will be a huge blow for the Hammers, as the Villans' displays in the Europa League and chances of Premier League glory, plus an expected larger spending budget, will make a move to Villa Park more appealing for the young star.

In other West Ham news, Moyes stance emerges as Hammers want to sign star PL rivals “desperately” want to sell.