West Ham are interested in signing Udinese’s Argentine defender Nehuen Perez, talkSPORT understands.
The Hammers have made contact with the Serie A side in hope of securing a deal for the 23-year-old.
The defender has huge admiration for Tottenham defender Cristian Romero and wants to replicate the career of his compatriot.
West Ham are prepared to offer £13.5million for Perez who is open to a move to the Premier League.
But the Hammers may have to up their offer for the player after Napoli saw a similar bid rebuffed in January.
West Ham will be buoyed by Perez’s desire to move to England and Udinese may prefer to offload the player to a foreign team.
Perez left his homeland in 2018 to sign for Atletico Madrid but was unable to register any appearances for the La Liga club.
He joined Udinese on loan in 2021 and a string of impressive displays earned him a permanent move to Italy a year later.
The Argentine would add some much needed steel to the Hammers’ backline after a string of poor defensive displays last term.
Only the three relegated clubs conceded more than West Ham despite them finishing in ninth place.
Italian centre-back Angelo Ogbonna has left the club after nine years at the club whilst the future of Kurt Zouma remains unclear.
Meanwhile, West Ham are close to finalising a £25m deal for Palmeiras star Luis Guilherme.
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The 18-year-old has jetted into London to undergo a medical and is set to become new boss Julen Lopetegui’s first signing.