Bristol City outline stance on Alex Scott amid West Ham pursuit
Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson said any midfield signings are not necessarily a replacement for reported West Ham target Alex Scott.
Hammers boss David Moyes is thought to have earmarked Scott, who was previously valued at £25million by Robins owner Steve Lansdown, as part of a midfield revamp this summer.
However, speaking to Bristol Live in quotes reported by the Evening Standard, Pearson warned the club are not guaranteed to cash in on the 19-year-old, who has two years remaining on his contract, in this window.
“Everybody seems keen to write Alex Scott off as being gone,” Pearson said.
“If we sign somebody in that area, we’re not replacing Alex Scott.
“Let me be absolutely crystal clear on that from my own perspective, anybody that we are either interested in or trying to sign or looking at in midfield is not to make room for then Alex Scott going, that’s not what we’re doing.”
Not an easy deal
There is no doubt that Alex Scott is exactly the sort of profile of player West Ham should be targeting this summer.
Young, bags of potential, and homegrown – something that will help with Premier League quotas in the future (and indeed any European ventures they continue to have).
But it is not an easy to get over the line. Bristol City have a little leeway given Scott still has plenty of time remaining on his contract, so the Hammers are going to have to meet the Robins’ valuation.
Moreover, the inevitable exit of Declan Rice – who has both Arsenal and Manchester City vying for his signature – means that clubs dealing with West Ham may ask for inflated fees this transfer window.
So, Scott – who many are tipping to play for England one day – is a good fit…but West Ham and David Moyes will have their work cut to secure his signature.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are set to appoint a new director of football this Friday.