West Ham are looking to make a bid for defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who is on loan at Stuttgart from fellow Premier League side Arsenal.
What’s the word?
German news outlet Kicker have reported that the Hammers are currently preparing to make a bid of £21m for the Greek defender, with his market valuation currently sitting at £15.3m.
However, Stuttgart appear to hold the upper hand when it comes to any possible transfer, as they could sign the player for just £2.5m due to a clause in his loan contract. This may mean that Arsenal will lose out on a massive transfer fee from West Ham for the centre back.
West Ham must move for Mavropanos
Mavropanos moved to Arsenal in 2018 from PAS Giannina for £1.89m but it hasn’t really worked out for him in north London, making just eight senior appearances in all competitions.
His spell at Stuttgart has been productive so far this season, playing 30 matches and scoring five goals as he looks to impress Mikel Arteta, but it looks like his Arsenal days may be completely behind him given this transfer news.
West Ham urgently need a central defender, with Angelo Ogbonna a long-term injury absentee, Kurt Zouma and Issa Diop also spending time on the treatment table, and Craig Dawson (32 next Friday) the only other natural option in that role.
Indeed, the Greek defender may well be an upgrade on the exit-linked Diop, having played 15 matches more than the Irons centre-back this season and registering an impressive 64 tackles compared to just nine for the Frenchman. Mavropanos is also competent at starting attacks from the back, completing 16 successful dribbles, whereas Diop hasn’t completed any so far this season.
These figures show the 24-year-old could be a significant upgrade for West Ham, and the “gladiator” – as his Stuttgart boss Pellegrino Matarazzo once called him – could be a tremendous coup if he joins the Hammers in the summer.
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