West Ham’s proposed move for Frederik Alves could be drawing nearer as his club Silkeborg IF confirmed the deal ‘had come a big step closer’ on their official website.
The Danish First Division side did not confirm which club the player would be joining, although the Hammers are believed to be frontrunners for the 20-year-old amid interest from Leeds United.
Any deal wouldn’t be officially completed until the transfer window reopens in January, with Alves’ proposed move believed to be worth around €1.3m to €1.6m (£1.17m-£1.44m).
Alves is a Denmark under-21 international with five caps to his name, and at 6 foot 3, he seems to possess the physical attributes to hold his own in the Premier League.
Despite his tender age, Alves has played 50 senior matches for Silkeborg and will be hoping to make an impact in east London should he arrive.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
David Moyes was in the market for a centre-half during the summer, and with the addition of Craig Dawson and potential incoming of the Danish youngster, there’s a chance the Irons boss may now have enough in his defensive ranks.
Although unproven at anything like the level of the Engish top flight, given the Hammers’ recent successes when signing players from the continent, namely Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, it may be wise to back Alves to make an equally seamless transition to the club if he joins.
At such a low fee, there is little risk attached to the deal, as well as scope for Moyes to continue his spending in January should he see fit.
