West Ham United is once again linked with Edson Álvarez. English media reported on Friday that the Ajax midfielder is being considered by the London-based club as a potential replacement for the highly likely departure of Declan Rice.
David Sullivan, chairman of West Ham, acknowledged this week after the victory in the Conference League against Fiorentina that Rice had played his last match for the club. "We promised Declan that he could leave. He is determined to go. You couldn't ask for a man who has given us more commitment this season than he has. It's not something we want to happen. We offered him £200,000 per week a year and a half ago, but he turned it down."
Rice's contract with West Ham will expire next summer, but the club has a unilateral option for an additional year. The London-based club is demanding a minimum of €100 million for the midfielder who has been with the club since 2014. The question is whether West Ham is not too late in showing interest in Álvarez. According to German media, the Mexican has already reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund, which will soon announce the transfer of Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid.
Álvarez recently commented on a possible departure from Ajax: "I also read and hear about the interest from the media, and of course, I won't lie that it's always nice to be linked with big clubs," acknowledged the €15 million acquisition in 2019 in a conversation with Voetbal International. "But Ajax is also a big club for me, so I will always treat everyone and everything here in Amsterdam with respect. I am immensely grateful to everyone for everything. And we will see what the future holds."
While Chelsea was willing to pay €63.25 million for Álvarez last summer and €50 million in January, the Amsterdam club will now have to settle for less. It is rumored that Ajax is asking for a fee of €35 million for the midfielder, who has two years left on his contract.
