According to Swiss daily Blick, West Ham and Tottenham are set to go head-to-head for the signature of Basel centre-back Manuel Akanji, with the Hammers ready to become the latest club to table a bid for the 22-year-old.
West Ham want to test the resolve of the Swiss giants with a £16million offer, while another interested suitor Borussia Dortmund are offering £13million.
Akanji is also on the radar of Liverpool following an impressive campaign in the Champions League this term where he assisted a goal in 6 group games.
The Switzerland international also put in a man-of-the-match performance during Basel’s 1-nil victory over Manchester United, and it’s easy to see why the big boys are after him.
Spurs recently brought in Davinson Sánchez, 21, from Ajax, and Akanji could be the next youngster to arrive and fight for a place in their defence.
West Ham can do with a top quality centre-back with a lot of years in him in form of the Basel starlet, but it remains to be seen if they can beat fierce competition to his signing.
Liverpool currently have the most expensive centre-back in the world, but it won’t come as a surprise if they are still keen on Akanji, a 2-time Swiss Super League winner and Swiss Cup winner, who could be breaking such records in the future.
