According to Football.London, West Ham have made Deportivo Alaves star Guillermo Maripan one of their top targets this summer.
Along with Olympiacos left-back Leonardo Koutris, Mario Husillos has identified Maripan as a defensive addition.
Having shipped 54 goals in 36 league games, West Ham know they need new defenders in the summer.
Maripan has been in excellent form for Alaves this season, helping his side to eighth place and they are in contention for Europa League qualification.
The Chile international stands at 6ft 4in tall and is a dominant centre-half who is strong in the air. He also ranks among the top performers in La Liga for tackling.
According to the Who Scored figures, Maripan’s defensive statistics are the 11th best in the Spanish top-flight despite only playing 23 games.
West Ham want to sign the 24-year-old in a £10m deal and he could link up with fellow Chilean Manuel Pellegrini.
The Hammers’ current options at centre-back include Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena, Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna.
But Maripan could provide strength in depth in central defence. And here are some tweets from West Ham fans discussing this move.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
