West Ham United are reportedly looking to tie up a deal for Swansea City defender Alfie Mawson, but they should forget about the 24-year-old and sign Aston Villa centre-back James Chester in a bargain £10m deal instead.
Sky Sports reported on Thursday that the Irons are in talks with the Welsh club to sign both Mawson and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski following the Swans’ relegation from the Premier League, and a potential deal relies on them agreeing on a transfer fee for the duo.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reports that Aston Villa are under pressure to raise £50m from player sales over the course of the next two transfer windows, and Chester may be one of the players that is available.
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The Telegraph say that the Wales international could fetch up to £10m and is a target for Brighton and Hove Albion and Stoke City, but perhaps the Irons should be taking a close look at him too following another impressive Championship campaign.
The 29-year-old played every minute of their 49-game league season as they were beaten play-off finalists, and he captained the Midlands outfit when John Terry was absent through injury.
The Welshman excelled alongside the former Chelsea skipper and he showed the defensive qualities he brings having made 378 clearances, 71 tackles and 54 blocks, as well as winning 150 aerial duels, as per WhoScored.com.
Decent on the ball with an 87% passing accuracy, Chester has the ability and experience to make a real impact in the Premier League again for West Ham, whose fans want the club to sign a £16.2m free-kick specialist to replace Manuel Lanzini, and it will be interesting to see if the £10m price tag could tempt them to make a bid.
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