West Ham United told how much it will cost to sign Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards
West Ham could sign long-term target Ronnie Edwards from Peterborough United in January if they are willing to pay £6million, according to the Peterborough Telegraph.
The British publication reported on its online edition on Monday (16 October) that West Ham had a previous bid of £4m knocked back for the defender in the summer.
Edwards looked set to make the switch to London Stadium towards the end of the most recent transfer window, but they pulled out of a deal as a fee could not be agreed [The Express, 1 September].
However, it is claimed that an offer just £2m higher than they previously tabled would be enough to get a deal over the line in January.
Pay it
West Ham’s interest in Edwards has been known for a while now, even predating the past window, but the club are clearly unwilling to go along with Peterborough’s hardball tactics.
That said, £6m would hardly break the bank, especially if the 20-year-old defender is as talented as many say he is.
An unnamed Championship club, thought to be Swansea City, are said to be the new frontrunners to land Edwards in the January window.
If a second-tier side outbid West Ham for a player the Hammers clearly want, then that is rather embarrassing.
West Ham are well stocked in the central-defensive area right now, with Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Angelo Ogbonna are battling it out for a starting spot.
But with back-up option Ogbonna soon to turn 36, and question marks over the futures of Zouma and Aguerd, it makes sense to bring in Edwards as a long-term option in the heart of defence.
If this deal does not happen in January, then West Ham will almost certainly miss out on the youngster.
In other West Ham news, David Moyes’ fears were realised after something that happened with a first-team player on international duty.