West Ham eye move for Swansea defender Alfie Mawson

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bengaluru, December 24: West Ham United are set to launch a £20million bid for Swansea defender Alfie Mawson in January, according to reports.

David Moyes' side have earmarked the England Under-21s star as one of their key targets and are determined to persuade the Welsh club to sell their prized asset.

The Swans sit bottom of the Premier League and remain without a permanent manager after the sacking of Paul Clement earlier this week.

Former player and club legend Leon Britton has been named caretaker boss and will take charge for the game against Crystal Palace.

It is unclear who will lead them in the January sales but the Welsh side will clearly be desperate to hold onto 23-year-old Mawson.

The London-born defender has 18 months left on his current contract but it is believed that he will cost around £20million in this market.

Swansea chiefs opened talks over a new deal for him some time ago and, while still ongoing, club bosses are hopeful that an agreement can be reached.

Mawson is said to be comfortable at the the Liberty Stadium but the South Wales club are in deep trouble of being relegated if their form does not improve.

The Swans' position in the table does make them susceptible to bids from clubs higher up.

However, after losing Gylfi Sigurdsson, Ashley Williams and Fernando Llorente they will be keen to keep hold onto their best defender.

Meanwhile, there is speculation that Roberto Martinez could his return to Swansea as well as English football as the Belgian has been reportedly approached by the Swans to fill the vacant post after the sacking of Paul Clement.

They took a valuable point of Crystal Palace on Saturday but the South Wales club desperately need a few wins to kickstart their season.