The fee West Ham can now land Rav van den Berg for as FC Koln open to sale

Rav van den Berg is on West Ham United's shortlist as they still seek centre-back cover.

The Hammers are still light in the centre of defence amid Jean-Clair Todibo's uncertain future.

Todibo had a very public falling out with manager Nuno Espirito Santo, claiming he would never play for the Portuguese coach again.

That has left the Irons in dire need of another defender, with just Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos as senior experienced defenders.

However, now it seems the Irons are going down the route of both adding youth and experience.

That is amid reports linking them with FC Koln centre-back Rav van den Berg.

What has been said about West Ham's interest in Rav van den Berg?

Centre-back is a priority for West Ham this summer.

A return to West Ham for Axel Disasi has continuously been mooted, but with no positive movement on that front as he assesses options, now might be the time to move on.

There are plenty of options out there and FC Koln's van de Berg is one of them.

According to journalist Ekrem Konur, who reports for publications such as The Sun, West Ham are among the clubs tracking Dutch "prodigy" van de Berg.

A transfer for the 22-year-old centre-back could be as low as £12.8million or as high as £17m, according to the report.

Additionally, as written by the journalist for Fussballdaten, FC Koln are not completely ruling out a transfer despite only signing him last summer.

It is said that "a financially attractive offer" would improve the Bundesliga side's situation.

If any intereted party were to submit an offer within that £12.8m to £17m range, Koln is "likely to approve the transfer."

The Irons do face plenty of competition, with Everton, Atalanta and Fiorentina also interested.

Why van de Berg would be a smart West Ham transfer

Van de Berg could be a shrewd deal for the Irons due to both his age and experience.

At 22 years old, he has already played plenty of football and in fact, most of that came in the league West Ham are currently competing in.

The Dutch defender spent two seasons at Middlesbrough from 2023 to 2025, in which he won their player of the season and young player of the season award in the 2023-2024 campaign.

The Netherlands youth international is clearly capable of competing at a high level in England's second tier and could be exactly what is needed amid West Ham's push for promotion.