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West Ham want Maripan before Copa America

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West Ham United want to wrap up the signing of Alaves centre back Guillermo Maripan before the Copa America begins on June 14, according to Marca.

The Spanish outlet claims that the 25-year-old is a key transfer target for Hammers director of football Mario Husillos, and that he wants to bring him in presently.

Maripan’s Chile side get their Copa America campaign underway three days after the tournament begins, but Manuel Pellegrini’s side want him confirmed as a West Ham player before then.

The Hammers have already made a £10million bid for the Chilean, but the La Liga side are holding out for closer to £22million.

OPINION

This is encouraging news for the West Ham faithful, because it surely means that the club will be getting a move on in their pursuit of Maripan. The Alaves star has long been a transfer target for the Hammers, and rightly so. He has enjoyed a tremendous season over in Spain and has emerged as one of the finest centre backs in La Liga – plus, he’s still young enough to kick on and improve in the years to come. It’s not often that a team like West Ham get the chance to sign a player like Maripan. Pellegrini’s side played the entirety of the season with just three fit centre halves – and one of them, in Fabian Balbuena, spent plenty of time on the sidelines. So the Chilean will need to bring in some centre back help this summer, and his compatriot would appear to be the clear choice. Let’s hope that the Hammers can do what they set out to and secure Maripan before June 14.

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