West Ham are keen on signing Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross this summer, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claims that the Hammers have registered an interest in landing the Stoke captain following his relegation from the Premier League in the 2017/18 season.
The era of new West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini appears to be in full swing after confirming the signing of defender Ryan Frederics on Tuesday and it appears he is looking at improving the backline.
Statistics site Spotrac claims that Shawcross has a £55,000-a-week contract with Stoke and it is set to expire in 2021.
Good move for West Ham?
There is no doubt that West Ham have to strengthen defensively over the summer months after a horrific campaign where they shipped 68 goals in 38 league games.
Shawcross has been a heroic leader at Stoke during his 10 years with the club and proven he can be a real commanding force in the top flight.
He could possibly help tighten up a shaky Hammers defence and the centre-back is renowned for his brilliant aerial ability.
However, the only concern with the 6ft 3in (source: Transfermrkt) colossus is that his levels did drop in a struggling Stoke team in the past year and he would need to rediscover his best form at the London Stadium.
This Is Futbol rating: 6/10
Likely to happen?
West Ham’s interest in Shawcross appears to be a very small one as it stands and it’s unclear on if Stoke are willing to offload one of their key players ahead of a season in the Championship.
This is Futbol rating: 3/10