West Ham United in hunt to sign the new John Stones, ‘major’ transfer bid expected
West Ham are in the hunt to sign the “new John Stones”, according to The Sun on Sunday.
The newspaper reported via their print edition on Sunday (15 September, page 55) that the Hammers are rivalling Manchester City in the pursuit of 16-year-old Rotherham centre-back Harrison Duncan.
The teenager is yet to feature for Rotherham’s first team with the Yorkshire club now braced for “major offers” for him.
Can Harrison Duncan replicate John Stones’ success at West Ham?
Fighting for the youngster is Premier League clubs, West Ham and Manchester City, with both clubs showing a keen interest in Duncan.
While the obvious sounding choice would be a move to Manchester, the Hammers’ academy cannot be overlooked, with superstars such as Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, and Jermain Defoe all a product of their youth system.
City have already targeted the Irons’ youth players this summer with Divin Mubama making the move to the Etihad campus in August.
This could mean that the Rotherham defender could prefer a move to East London, where his development could be overlooked before either featuring as a Hammers player, or making a move at an older age.
Either way, the promising centre-back clearly has some talent, otherwise he wouldn’t be on the radar for two top Premier League teams, and West Ham fans should be excited about the prospect of him joining the club.
With the Hammers in the market for a defender, Duncan could be a great signing for the future.
In other West Ham news, Joel Matip is to decide on his future after demands made by the West Ham-linked defender.
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