It has been reported by Marca that West Ham are looking to move quickly for Guillermo Maripán.
To be more precise, the Hammers are hoping to have completed a deal with Alavés for the centre back by the time the Copa America has begun on 15th June.
They are aware that should they not manage this, they will likely have to wait until the tournament’s culmination to make the signing, as Maripán will be a mainstay in the Chile side bidding to retain the title.
The Hammers have already had a bid of around £10 million rejected, as Alavés are holding out for a sum closer to the player’s 25 million euro release clause.
According to WhoScored, Maripán’s main strengths are aerials duels, tackling and blocking the ball, while his main weakness is cited as passing.
With this in mind, it would be interesting to see how the Chilean fits into Manuel Pellegrini’s ball-playing system, though he is said to dribble out from the back with the ball.
Since taking over as West Ham manager, Pellegrini – with the help of Mario Husillos – has been very clear in identifying who he feels should be signed to fit his vision before going out and getting them; it seems that Maripán is his latest unmissable target.
