West Ham United have expressed ‘serious interest’ in signing Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Aleix Garcia next summer, according to Fussballdaten.
The 28-year-old made the move to Germany with a glowing reputation, having shone at Girona, where he had cemented his place as one of La Liga’s standout midfielders.
The former Manchester City academy star enjoyed a strong debut campaign under Xabi Alonso, where he won the German Super Cup. His performances drew praise from his former boss, who described him as ‘outstanding’ due to his composed display in the middle of the park.
Against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League this season, the Spaniard was again at his composing best despite his side losing and coming up against arguably the best midfield in Europe.
He had a 94.5% accuracy and had a 100% tackle success while also creating two chances in the second leg of Leverkusen’s 2-0 defeat to the Gunners.
He’s also enjoying one of his most productive seasons in the top flight with nine assists and five goals so far this campaign, which has inevitably piqued the interest of clubs in England and Spain.
Among the non-Spanish clubs, Fussballdaten reports that West Ham have expressed the ‘most serious’ interest in a summer swoop for Garcia.
‘Outstanding’ midfielder
Having explored a move for the midfielder last summer, the Hammers remain keen on signing him and are now closely monitoring his development in the Bundesliga ahead of a possible summer switch to the London Stadium, according to the report.
While Leverkusen insists Garcia, who is also attracting interest from Atletico Madrid, is comfortable at BayArena, the German club are open to offers for the Spaniard in excess of £25m, Fussballdten adds.
West Ham’s hopes of avoiding relegation in the Premier League suffered a major setback following a 2–0 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Hammers had earned a valuable point in a draw with City the previous week, but the loss at Villa Park saw them miss the chance of jumping out of the relegation zone.
They have accumulated just 29 points from 31 matches this season; only in 2006–07 (34 games) and 2009–10 (33 games) have they taken longer to reach the 30-point mark.
With seven games remaining, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side still have significant work ahead, sitting 18th, one point from safety, and their survival prospects are likely to influence their transfer plans next summer.
