Report: West Ham open talks with Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex Kral
West Ham have reportedly opened talks with the representatives of Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex Kral over a summer transfer.
Sky Sports understands that the Hammers are one of five Premier League clubs to have taken the initial steps in signing the highly-coveted midfielder.
The Czech Republic star who has been valued at £30m by The Daily Mirror, has been on the radar of high-profile Premier League scouts since last October.
Having joined the Czech League champions Slavia from mid-table Teplice in January 2019 for a meagre £800,000, he’s seen his value increase an exorbitant amount of times in the span of two and a half years.
He is Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal’s teammate for the Czech Republic national side, and the West Ham duo, both of whom have enjoyed spectacular campaigns for the club, could help in tempting the 23-year-old to move to East London in the summer.
Big signing
If Declan Rice departs in the summer, he is the midfielder who can be an ideal replacement for the England international.
At 23, Kral has already taken the Czech League by storm and has outgrown the challenge he was handed there. Given his age, this is the ideal time for him to secure his next big move, and the fact that two of his national teammates are there could make the London Stadium a happy landing spot.
Positionally, he is very similar to Rice. He operates as the deepest of the two or three midfielders and is often interchanging passes with the centre-backs.
Recently, his side tweeted that ‘he can do it all’ and showcased his defensive and attacking statistics.
While he’s got an engine on him and a strong physical frame, Kral tends not to make runs into the box until it’s an absolute necessity.
However, in his recent game against Akhmat Grozny, he did exactly that. The 23-year-old played on the left side of a midfield pivot along with Roman Zobnin.
Kral completed all three of his attempted dribbles, boasted a pass accuracy of 84 percent, and provided the assist by surging into the box which kick-started Spartak’s comeback. [Wyscout]
The 23-year-old has only kept getting better with time and West Ham must not pass up on the opportunity to sign him up this summer.
In other West Ham news, Jose Mourinho to hand Hammers blow in quest to sign ‘Elite’ PL ace this summer – report
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Hammers and more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie