CONFIRMED: West Ham now set to complete the signing of Bundesliga star as Fabrizio Romano confirms Hammers have reached advanced talks to sign player
Konstantinos Mavropanos wasn’t in the squad for Stuttgart because he is “on the verge of joining West Ham”, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian transfer specialist reported via Twitter on Saturday afternoon (19 August) that the Greek international wasn’t included to face Bochum as the Hammers “priority target” was set for a move with the deal at the “final stages”.
The Irons switched their attentions to the former Arsenal man after their pursuit of Harry Maguire from Manchester United fell apart.
Mavropanos would become the third West Ham signing this summer, following Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez and Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, and the move is now imminent.
If only every West Ham deal this summer could have moved along with the urgency that the Mavropanos deal has progressed in recent days.
Credit should go to the club in this instance for wasting little time after the Maguire pursuit, which was a comparatively torturous affair, collapsed.
The 25-year-old will provide the new option at centre-back that David Moyes has been searching for after his current options suffered a plethora of injuries in the past two years.
Seasoned in the Bundesliga he may be, and with 19 international caps to his name, Mavropanos is an overseas signing with limited Premier League experience – seven appearances in three years at the Emirates – instead of the pricy veteran England international in Maguire that the manager had wanted.
Moyes has been targeting proven performers in the English top flight while technical director Tim Steidten has been looking at younger options with better value from across the continent, and the pair have clashed over the differing viewpoints.
Questions have been raised over the long-term future of both men at the London Stadium so the make up of the transfer haul could be instructive as to who is most secure going forward.
