Latest reports have named West Ham among a list of potential suitors lining up a move for Bundesliga defender Timo Hubers.
What’s the talk?
The Daily Mail claim that no less than five Premier League clubs are understood to be eyeing the Cologne centre-back who is valued at £6m by the club according to the report.
Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Leeds are believed to be interested in the 25-year-old while Southampton, West Ham and Fulham are also paying close attention to the situation.
The German returned to Cologne from Hannover last summer and as outlined by the reports he will enter the final 12 months of his deal at the end of the season.
A bargain compared to other targets
The 6 foot 2 ball-playing defender would be a great addition to the Hammers team and his asking price makes the uncapped international all the more appealing.
He could pave the way for former club-record signing Issa Diop to leave the London Stadium and become a long-term replacement for the 33-year-old Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson (31).
The centre-back has started in all but one of Cologne’s last 13 matches and been on the losing side just three times with the club enjoying a lofty position of eighth in the Bundesliga standings.
The Hildesheim-born player came through Hannover’s youth system before starting his career with Koln’s second team, and then returned to Hannover for a five-year spell.
Hubers ranks second in terms of overall SofaScore ratings this season with 7.17 and he could be a cheaper alternative for David Moyes in the off season.
The Hammers have been linked with moves for Nikola Milenkovic and Sven Botman in recent weeks and were thought to have been close to signing Duje Caleta-Car back in January.
All those deals would likely take north of £20m to sanction while Hubers can be brought in for a quarter of the price.
He ranks joint-first in the league for interceptions (2.7) and among the top eight for clearances (4.9) made per 90. He is third for tackles at Cologne (2.1) too, as well as boasting an 82.6% pass completion rating and 4.1 long balls per game.
The burgeoning talent has the ability to improve the Hammers’ back line and at the least would provide secure reinforcement.
His asking price means it is a can’t lose situation and the club may well be inclined to make a move come the end of the season. Forget Diop, Hubers could be the man to take the mantle post-Ogbonna and Dawson.
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