West Ham are now ‘certain’ to secure the £12.7m signing of Fenerbahce defender Attila Szalai, according to Turkish journalist Volkan Agir.
David Moyes has been forced back into the transfer market for a centre-back following injuries to Craig Dawson and Nayef Aguerd, as well as the impending sale of Issa Diop to Fulham.
With Angelo Ogbonna still some time away from making a full recovery from the ACL injury he picked up last season, Moyes was forced to play full-back Ben Johnson alongside Kurt Zouma in defence when the Hammers faced Manchester City last weekend.
But it appears Moyes and West Ham have been able to move quickly to fill the gap with reports claiming Szalai is heading to east London.
SPOR journalist Omer Celikbasli recently told West Ham Zone that the Hammers had made a second bid worth around £12.7m for the 24-year-old left-sided centre-back, after an initial bid of £7.6m was rejected by the Turkish giants.
It’s claimed West Ham’s second bid for the Hungary international is nearer to what Fenerbahce were asking for, although he did not confirm whether they had accepted it.
Fenerbahçe'de Szalai'nin West Ham'a transferi kesin..
— Volkan Ağır (@Volkan_Agir) August 9, 2022
Those comments come after Agir’s claim that Szalai’s transfer to West Ham is ‘certain’ when he tweeted on Tuesday evening (above).
The fact Szalai is a left-side centre-back will give Moyes even more depth than he had bargained for earlier in the summer, with Aguerd brought in to be the first-choice in that position, alongside Zouma or Dawson, while Ogbonna will also provide great experience and cover there once he returns from injury.
Szalai joined Fener from Apol Limassol in January 2021 and has gone on to make 67 appearances in Black and Yellow, scoring five goals and assisting a further two.