West Ham launch £14m bid for former Manchester City midfielder | OneFootball

West Ham have launched a £14 million bid to sign Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia, according to The Guardian.

The Spanish midfielder was crucial in Girona’s memorable campaign, which saw them finish third in La Liga and qualify for the Champions League.

Julen Lopetegui wants to reinforce every area of the squad this summer, and the midfield is a priority for the Spanish tactician.

Garcia would be an excellent addition, but the Hammers are facing concrete competition from Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Leverkusen are leading the race to sign Garcia this summer, but West Ham are looking to derail their efforts.

However, convincing Garcia to move to East London could be tricky, considering we can’t offer the former Manchester City midfielder Champions League football.

The 26-year-old still has two years left on his contract with Girona. There’s also an option for a further year, but his exceptional performances for the Spanish side have made him a sought-after target.

West Ham have submitted an official proposal to beat Leverkusen in the race, but they still need to convince Garcia to choose England over Germany.

Champions League football could scupper West Ham’s chances

Garcia would be an exceptional addition for us this summer. In addition to his nine-goal contributions, he created nine big chances, averaging 1.6 key passes per 90 minutes.

He was Girona’s chief midfield tempo-setter, averaging 89.6 touches per match and was efficient at progressing the ball, recording an impressive 92% pass accuracy.

Garcia also played his part defensively, winning 57% of his ground duels while averaging one interception, 1.3 tackles, and 5.6 ball recoveries per game.

Girona have already begun scouring the market for Garcia’s replacement, which suggests they are resigned to losing him this summer.

However, we still need to fend off competition from Leverkusen to get a deal over the line.

Despite the official bid, our absence from the European competitions could derail our efforts to sign him, given Leverkusen can offer Champions League football.

However, we must do everything possible to sign Garcia, who would be a bargain acquisition and a statement signing from our perspective.

Stats from Sofascore.com