West Ham United meet with Ajax for transfer of Edson Alvarez, bid expected soon
West Ham and Ajax have held a meeting over the potential transfer of midfielder Edson Alvarez, according to a report by VI.
The Dutch newspaper reported on their website (14 July) that the two clubs held a meeting on Thursday (12 July) about a transfer for the Mexico international, with West Ham keen to sign him as a replacement for Declan Rice.
Rice’s move to Arsenal was confirmed on Saturday morning (15 July), and the Hammers are now stepping up their plans to invest in the squad after receiving the cash.
“It was no secret that The Hammers are in the market for Álvarez,” they wrote (14 July).
“That interest has now taken on concrete forms, now that the winner of the Conference League has contacted Ajax.
“On Thursday, a first meeting took place between the English and Amsterdammers. In that conversation, West Ham hinted that it intends to work on the arrival of the Mexico international.
“It is therefore expected that this offer will not be long in coming.”
Excellent
It’s been a long time coming but West Ham are finally active in the transfer window after the sale of Rice to Arsenal was confirmed.
The club have been linked heavily with central midfielders in this window, but Alvarez was always seen as the top option to replace the outgoing captain although things never looked as likely as they do now.
Alvarez was close to joining Borussia Dortmund before they pulled the plug on the deal over the asking price, something which has given the Hammers a free run at him.
They will still need to convince him that a move to east London is right for him, but there don’t seem to be too many concerns over the financial side of things and this could now start to move quickly.
Moyes knows who he wants and the club showed last summer that they’re not afraid to pull the trigger for the right player, so all eyes now turn to Tim Steidten to get his first deal done.
In other West Ham news, the exact payment terms for Rice’s move to Arsenal have been shared by Sky Sports News.