Ajax are facing a battle with Real Sociedad over a deal for West Ham United‘s Edson Álvarez this summer.
Last season, the Mexico international was on loan at Fenerbahçe, who haven’t made his stay permanent.
He’ll return to West Ham but is unlikely to stay following their drop to the Championship. He had options to move to Mexico, but the midfielder’s desire is to continue in Europe.
Earlier this month, Sport Witness covered claims from Germany that he wants to leave the Hammers. 1. FC Köln have shown interest but didn’t make advances because of the costs of the operation.
Ajax serious about West Ham man
De Telegraaf claim the Eredivisie side are ‘seriously pursuing’ the 28-year-old and the operation remains ‘complicated’.
He spent four years at the Amsterdam club before leaving them for West Ham United in 2023 for €38m.
Edson Álvarez is open to returning to Ajax and their director, Jordi Cruyff, has already held positive talks with him.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side want a sale and are demanding €15m, which is a problem for the Dutch club. They have to sell some of their players first to cover this operation.
West Ham agreement could be key
The newspaper states the Hammers still owe €14m of the original fee to Ajax and this could be key for the latter.
However, Míchel’s side are looking to sign him by raising funds rather than adjusting West Ham United’s final instalment. This won’t happen anytime soon as Ajax aren’t close to selling a player.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad have stepped in and made an offer to the Championship side. Their proposal is to buy 50% of Edson Álvarez’s rights for €7.5m, with an option to purchase an additional percentage of his rights through bonuses.
Ajax are also studying this option, along with a loan transfer, while the London club prefer a sale.
Edson Álvarez is keen on returning to his old club and his representatives are refusing to comment.
