West Ham United face competition from Chelsea in Edson Alvarez transfer race
West Ham will face competition from London rivals Chelsea in their pursuit of Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez, as the Blues are considering a move for the Mexican, according to The Times.
The report by Tom Roddy shared on 1 August that Alvarez has been on Chelsea’s radar since last summer, when they attempted to do a deal worth upwards of £40million on deadline day.
It is also shared that Alvarez has attracted attention from Newcastle United ahead of their first season back in the Champions League, and has significant interest from other parties.
The news of Champions League interest from Newcastle comes as no surprise for a player of Alvarez’s quality and pedigree but will be frustrating for the Hammers as new interest is likely to raise the price tag on a player they previously seemed to have a free run at following a breakdown in talks with Borussia Dortmund.
It has been reported recently that West Ham’s interest in Alvarez was not as strong as it may once have seemed, as Fabrizio Romano [27 July] reported the Mexican was not the priority at the London Stadium this summer.
Either way, competition from Chelsea is likely to make any West Ham move for Alvarez that much more difficult, as Chelsea’s stature in the game will make the difference, despite the Hammers being able to offer European football while the Blues can’t.
With less than two weeks to go before the Premier League season kicks off, things are still not clear at West Ham as to who their main choice is to replace Declan Rice in midfield, as they remain the only Premier League side yet to do business this summer.
In other West Ham news, a summit may be reached within days for West Ham striker to leave the club.