West Ham are hoping to finalise a deal for central defender Guillermo Maripan before the Copa America starts next month.
A report from Marca, relayed on Forever West Ham, suggests that Hammers chiefs ideally want to have the 25-year-old secured prior to him travelling to Brazil, where he will feature for Chile.
The tournament kicks-off on Friday 14th June, and Chile will take to the field for the first time on Monday 17th June when they play Japan in Sao Paulo.
Maripan’s current employers, Deportivo Alaves, want a fee of around £21 million for the 6ft 3in defender, but the Marca report indicates that the two teams are still some way apart on their valuations of the player, with West Ham’s current offer standing at £10 million.
Therefore, if a deal is to happen within the timescale, there will have to be a significant change in stance from either the Premier League or La Liga club in order for an agreement to be made.
The Irons’ director of football Mario Husillos is said to be a big admirer of Maripan, and has placed him near the top of his list of transfer targets this summer.
