West Ham beat Crystal Palace to sign Flynn Downes, could be confirmed Thursday afternoon
West Ham have reportedly beaten Crystal Palace to secure the services of Swansea midfielder Flynn Downes.
According to the Evening Standard, he is undergoing the second part of his Hammers medical and the deal could be announced today afternoon (July 7).
Crystal Palace were leading the race to sign him, but it seems like they have now lost out to their London rivals.
He is set to join on an initial fee of £9million which could rise to £12million after add-ons.
First-team ready?
We reportedly exclusively that the Hammers had tabled bids to sign two separate midfielders as they prepare for life without Tomas Soucek.
It seems like Downes is one of them and he will be moving to the London Stadium this summer to add to their ranks in midfield.
For the price they’re signing him, it’s good to see them roping in a 23-year-old as he’ll not just be at the club for the short term, but they could have him on their books for years to come.
The real question is whether he’s ready to walk into the Hammers playing eleven as he’s not used to this level of football and may need some time to adapt.
The Hammers need to sign at least another central midfielder and he needs to be proven either in the Premier League or one of Europe’s top leagues.
We cannot fault the incomings so far but West Ham cannot stop making new signings right now and must continue their recruitment drive in the weeks to come.