West Ham are believed to be ‘close’ to confirming the signing of Frederik Alves from Danish Superliga outfit Silkeborg IF.
In a report from Danish media outlet BT, the centre-back was pictured at a Stratford Hotel in London along with his agent Christian Bysted ahead of a potential move to the Hammers, which is described as ‘extremely close’.
The 20-year-old, who stands at 6 foot 3, is reportedly set to undergo a medical ahead of a move to east London worth around £1.3m.
A Denmark under-21 representative, Alves can play anywhere across the back four although is naturally a central defender. The youngster has already made his mark on the first team at Silkeborg, making 50 appearances in total, including eight this season.
David Moyes’ summer search for a centre-back was well documented and the Irons manager brought in Craig Dawson on loan until the end of the 2020/21 season.
Should the deal go ahead, Alves would likely complete the move at the start of the January transfer window and may be included in the West Ham squad for the second half of the Premier League campaign.
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Should Alves prove a hit in the long run, the deal would have to go down as one of the better pieces of business at the club in recent times.
West Ham have acquired habit of scouring the perceived lesser-watched European leagues to find hidden gems, such as the arrivals of former Slavia Prague duo Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, and the Irons’ scouts will hope they have unearthed another jewel in the young Dane.
