West Ham will make an attempt to sign centre-back John Egan in the next transfer window.
That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who has said that the Irons will make a £12m move for the Sheffield United defender this winter.
Egan made 67 Premier League appearances as the Blades competed in the top flight between 2019 and 2021 with the Yorkshire club now currently top of the Championship table.
It is thought that the Irishman could be brought in to cover the loss Craig Dawson who seemed close to a Hammers exit before the recent transfer deadline.
Dawson was the subject of interest from Wolves on deadline day but a move collapsed, with the east London outfit unable to recruit a replacement.
Writing on his official Patreon page Nixon wrote: “West Ham boss David Moyes wants Sheffield United centre half John Egan – and will make a £12 million move for him in the next window.
“If Hammers land Egan it would open the door for unsettled Craig Dawson to move after the collapse of a switch.
“The centre half was a target for Aston Villa as we revealed but they found a cheaper alternative. Wolves will take a look at Dawson again after they missed out.
“West Ham wanted £5 million plus £2 million extras for Dawson but that will drop now as he nears the end of his contract.”
With an arduous personal commute from up north it would seem that Dawson is destined to leave the London Stadium and Egan could be a sound alternative for David Moyes.
He has proved he is capable of playing in the top tier ranking in the top 2% of centre-backs in the Premier League for passes intercepted per 90 and in the top 10% for passes blocked (Fbref) during the 2020/21 campaign and posting a respectable 6.75 average SofaScore rating.
However, all current centre-back options did post a better score last term meaning it would be likely Egan would operate as a back-up option but with European commitments he could well prove to be able cover.
