West Ham on alert as Argentina defender made available for €9m

West Ham remain interested in Argentina right-back Gonzalo Montiel, according to reports.

Montiel has established himself as a key player for River Plate since emerging from their academy in 2016. Now 24, he has more than 100 appearances at club level to his name and six caps for Argentina.

With his contract expiring in June, Montiel could be on the move. After being linked with West Ham in the summer, those rumours have resurfaced.

According to AS, the Hammers are still in the hunt for Montiel and his price tag has dropped significantly.

Due to the lack of time remaining on his contract, River Plate could now accept a bid of around €9m. However, even that may be off-putting.

There were reports in August that West Ham had bid €7.5m for Montiel’s services. It seems unlikely they would raise their offer when Montiel’s market value should in theory be dropping.

The defender seems destined for a big move to Europe, though, and the Premier League could be in his sights.

Hence, West Ham could keep their interest alive if Montiel remains available. Although, they will face competition from other clubs across the continent.


Subscribe for free to TEAMtalk’s daily newsletter…


Teams in France, Italy, Spain want Montiel

AS add that La Liga side Villarreal want to take Montiel to Spain. There is also interest from Roma in Italy and Lyon in France.

Montiel seems to be keeping his options open, though, with the report indicating he will not sign a pre-contract agreement with anyone yet.

That means he could end up staying in Argentina until the end of the season, after which there will be a scramble for his services as a free agent, which could involve West Ham.

READ MORE: Door opens for Lingard to join West Ham