Sources: West Ham in advanced talks to sign Kral for £20m+

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Published on:

02 Jun 2021, 9:18 am

West Ham are in advanced talks to sign Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex Kral, Football Insider understands.

The Hammers are willing to pay £20million-plus to secure the capture of the defensive midfielder.

A source has told Football Insider negotiations are progressing well but, contrary to some suggestions, the deal is not yet done.

The fee has yet to be agreed upon, or the structure of the payments.

Should West Ham finalise a deal, it would be their third Czech international signing.

Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal joined the club on permanent deals from Slavia Prague last summer after Soucek spent the second half of the previous season on loan.

The pair have established themselves as key players for David Moyes' side that finished sixth in the Premier League.

They have both been named in the Czech Republic squad for this summer's European Championships alongside Kral.

Kral also played alongside the duo for Slavia Prague before his move to Spartak Moscow in 2019.

The 23-year-old featured in 29 of Spartak's 30 league games this season as they finished second in the Russian Premier League.

West Ham are in the market for a long-term replacement for club icon and captain Mark Noble.

The midfielder, who turned 34 last month, announced during the season he will retire at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

Declan Rice and Soucek played the majority of the games alongside each other last season, with Noble limited to eight Premier League starts.

In other news, a proven Premier League star has told friends he's "very keen" to join West Ham as a bid is readied.

West Ham United