West Ham 'Close' to Signing Defender Frederik Alves Ibsen From Silkeborg
By Adam Aladay
West Ham are 'close' to agreeing a deal worth around £1.2m for Silkeborg defender Frederik Alves Ibsen, with the youngster having already travelled to London to finalise a January move.
The 20-year-old made his senior debut for Silkeborg back in September 2018 and has gone on to make 50 appearances in all competitions for the Danish side up to this point. Although predominantly a centre-back, Alves can also play at right-back if required.
The Daily Mail now report that the Hammers are closing in on a deal to sign the exciting defender in January, with a fee of around £1.2m being mentioned. The Denmark U-21 international has already travelled with his agent to London in order to finalise the move ahead of the opening of the winter window.
The report states that fellow Premier League outfit Leeds United also showed an interest in Alves, while Rostov did as well. But it appears as though he will be on his way to east London should the final stages of the negotiations go smoothly.
Danish outlet BT have further reported that Alves is indeed on the verge of signing for West Ham, although they claim the fee will not exceed £1m. The report states that the player is currently staying in a hotel in London as he completes his medical, while he is expected to sign a contract until 2024.
BT also allude to the fact that his current club Silkeborg recently confirmed they are in negotiations with an unnamed club to sell Alves.
David Moyes has, of course, been on the lookout for defensive reinforcements and the club were linked with a number of central defenders during the recent transfer window. They were able to bring in Craig Dawson on loan late on, but the 30-year-old is still yet to feature for his new club.
The addition of a player like Alves will excite fans considering his potential, but it's unlikely he will be thrown in at the deep end immediately and will instead be eased into life in England's top division, should he successfully complete his move to West Ham.