West Ham United powerhouse Konstantinos Mavropanos is reportedly a summer target for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
He certainly ticks a lot of boxes.
Dinos Mavropanos racked up 80 appearances in Germany’s top flight in the colours of Stuttgart from 2020 to 2023. He is, as they say, ‘proven’ in this league.
Dortmund need a replacement for Niklas Sule, too.
Any changes to this team? I wouldn’t drop KWP any time soon 👀
And if the 1997 Champions League winners want an aerially dominant central defender capable of emulating Sule’s ball-playing talents from the right-hand side, West Ham United’s suddenly free-scoring giant fits the bill.
West Ham United fans make Konstantinos Mavropanos demand
Now, when breaking the news of Dortmund’s interest, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg admitted that the Hammers would likely demand a ‘very high’ transfer fee. Mavropanos is under contract until 2028, after all.
Exactly what constitutes ‘very high’, though, is anybody’s guess. When we at Hammers News asked our TalkingPoint readers, the response was emphatic.
At the time of writing, 65 per cent of you argued that Mavropanos should not be sold for a penny less than £30 million. Some are even holding out hope for £50 million-plus.
“Suggest £50 million as a starting point,” one fan suggests. “We hold the aces. We’ve been stitched up in paying over the odds on players we were after. Besides, I would prefer to keep Mavro.”
“Minimum £50 million!”
“If he actually wants to go, then £60 million. No less.”
Hammers are ‘calm’ about Mavropanos situation
Whether he really does ‘want to go’ is, in itself, something of a debate.
Plettenberg claimed that Mavropanos wants a fresh start after three years in London. He will turn 29 in December. Dortmund, meanwhile, will be able to offer Champions League football in 2026/27.
Plettenberg’s report emerged like a bolt from the blue minutes before Nuno Espirito Santo faced a few tricky Mavropanos questions at his Friday press conference. Hammers News have since been told however, by a spokesman for the board, that West Ham are not panicking at this stage.
Far from it.
The message is clear!
If you want Mavro, prepare to put your money where your mouth is… 💸💸💸
“We are calm about the Mavropanos speculation,” the source said. “This is standard practice when players are discussing new contracts and terms and often used by intermediaries to force the club’s hand on certain things.
“Everyone at the club is delighted by Mavropanos’ turnaround, not least because he is such a popular guy in the dressing room and has found it tough to establish himself since signing.
“But we are calm and would question where the information is coming from given a key contact left the club some time ago now…”
Such confidence will be music to the ears of supporters who have taken Mavropanos to their hearts during the most enjoyable comeback since Quentin Tarantino unearthed John Travolta’s dramatic chops.
“I am made up that he has finally come good for us,” one fan writes on our Facebook page. “But how come that, as soon as someone hits good form, then they are suddenly a target for other clubs? We need to build our squad next season not strip the club of our best assets.”
“Why would we let him go? And why would he want to go now that he’s winning the fans over? The only scenario where he leaves is if we go down, in my opinion.”
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