West Ham United face competition for Southampton defender Jan Bednarek
Serie A side Napoli and Ligue 1 side Marseille have joined Nottingham Forest in pursuit of West Ham United target Jan Bednarek according to Alex Crook.
The Athletic revealed on Wednesday 31 August that the Hammers were on the verge of an agreement for the 26-year-old Southampton defender.
However talkSPORT reporter Crook revealed (via Twitter, 1 September) that West Ham are not the only club in for Bednarek and face competition from Europe for his signature.
It’s also understood that Aston Villa remain keen on landing the Poland international.
Move fast
The longer this deal goes on, the more unlikely West Ham’s chances of landing Bednarek become.
Due to the large amount of interest in the 26-year-old, he is in a strong position in regard to his wage demands.
The club hierarchy must ensure that they’re not dragged into a bidding war for the 26-year-old and end up overpaying on his wages just to bring him to the London Stadium.
He’s an experienced central defender, but he’s certainly not a player who is going to make or break West Ham’s transfer window should he sign.
If he does join the club he will more than likely be viewed as a replacement for Craig Dawson, should he leave the London Stadium with Wolves and Aston Villa interested.
Nayef Aguerd, Thilo Kehrer and Kurt Zouma would all sit ahead of the Southampton defender at present.
Another defender would be welcomed but the club shouldn’t go all out to secure Bednarek’s services on deadline day.