OPINION
West Ham have been heavily linked in recent weeks with Alaves central defender Guillermo Maripán as the summer transfer window continues to approach.
The 25-year old is currently playing his football in La Liga with Alaves, but is looking likely to be leaving the club ahead of next season.
The Hammers are reportedly willing to pay €12m (Approximately £10.4million) to bring the enforcer to the London Stadium, according to Spanish news outlet AS.
The outlet also claimed that there has been reported interest in Maripan from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, so West Ham would need to be swift when trying to obtain his signature.
The 25-year old would certainly be an improvement to the current Hammers squad, and Manuel Pellegrini should do all he can to bring the player to the club as it would be a smart move.
The central defender is young but experienced, and looks the perfect fit to come to the London Stadium and play his football in the Premier League.
The 6ft 4in tall centre-half (Source: Transfermarkt) would join the ranks alongside some talented defenders, Issa Diop for example, but could potentially get the nod ahead of them should he eventually arrive at the club.
This would give Pellegrini a much tougher choice when picking his match-day squad, but would also give him better options defensively for a very reasonable price.
The West Ham manager may have to pay a little more than expected to bring the Chilean to the London Stadium however, as the defender’s release clause currently exceeds €20m (Approximately £17.3m).
This price, although higher than expected, still seems acceptable. Especially considering the player that would be coming in, who is a tough central defender who can also score goals.
Maripan has registered two goals and two assists so far in La Liga this season, showing another reason why West Ham should go all out to bring him to the Hammers in the summer.
