‘Talks on’ – West Ham eye former Arsenal man as Maguire alternative; player ‘keen’ on PL return

West Ham are reportedly considering a move for VfB Stuttgart centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos as an alternative to Manchester United outcast Harry Maguire. 

David Moyes is keen to add another quality defender to his squad as he looks to build on a trophy-winning 2022/23 season.

Maguire had been considered to be West Ham’s first-choice target for some time. However, their deal for the England international has ‘collapsed’ after they grew tired of waiting for him to agree a pay-off from his Man Utd contract.

As a result, Moyes is scouring the market for alternative options and that search has led him to Mavropanos.

The Greece international will be familiar to Premier League fans after a four-year stint with Arsenal between 2018 and 2022. He only made eight appearances for the Gunners, though.

Mavropanos went on two loan spells, firstly to FC Nurnberg for one season and then to Stuttgart for two, who decided to sign him permanently last summer.

He has made 89 appearances for the German club so far, scoring eight goals in the process. It now seems he could be set to return to the Premier League, with West Ham pushing for his signature.

READ MORE: Man Utd fix asking price for latest West Ham target after Maguire collapse as Burnley interfere

West Ham ‘talks on’ for Mavropanos

According to reputed transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, West Ham have already opened talks to sign Mavropanos this summer.

On Twitter, Romano wrote: “West Ham want Kostas Mavropanos as new centre back after Harry Maguire deal collapsed.

“Talks on, with Mavropanos keen on PL return, deal is being discussed.”

West Ham are in for a busy few weeks before the transfer window closes. They have already sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m and Man City are currently in talks to sign Lucas Paqueta.

The Hammers have slapped a £95m price tag on the Brazilian. Man City could bring this price down, though, by offering Cole Palmer as part of the deal.

The attention of West Ham fans now turns to Moyes to see how he spends the transfer funds at his disposal. The London club have already brought in James Ward-Prowse (£30m) and Edson Alvarez (£35m) but their business is far from done.

As mentioned, a centre-back is a priority with Mavropanos now considered to be the manager’s number one target. It isn’t clear how much West Ham will have to pay for him, although some reports suggest he has a valuation of approximately £20m.

Next on Moyes’ list is a striker after selling Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta. Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun has been considered as one potential option.

With that in mind, West Ham are certainly a team to watch in the transfer market for the next couple of weeks.

READ MORE: Arsenal expecting ‘improved offer’ for £50m star as Gunners work towards ‘compromise’