West Ham United look set for a busy summer in the transfer market to help give Julen Lopetegui the best possible start as Hammers manager.
The Hammers haven’t wasted any time in moving for targets ahead of the transfer window opening on 14 June.
For instance, we’ve had heavy speculation linking West Ham with Fabricio Bruno and Luis Guilherme in recent weeks.
Now, the Hammers have reportedly decided to make their move for a player deemed ‘one of the best silent maestros in world football’.
The player in question is Aleix Garcia, who helped Girona finish third in La Liga last season to secure a spot in the Champions League.
According to Fabrizio Romano, West Ham have made contact with the Spaniard’s camp in order to present their project with Lopetegui.
However, the transfer insider, writing on X, stressed that Bayer Leverkusen remain frontrunners to sign Garcia.
Who is West Ham target Aleix Garcia?
Aleix Garcia began his footballing journey at Spanish sides Ulldecona and Villarreal before joining the youth setup at Manchester City in 2015.
The Spaniard made a handful of senior appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, but spent much of his time on their books out on loan before leaving in 2020.
Garcia had short stints at Dinamo Bucuresti and Eibar before joining Girona in 2021, where he has made a huge name for himself.
In early April, scouting outlet Breaking the Lines described the reported West Ham target as ‘one of the best silent maestros in world football’.
Spencer Mossman wrote: ‘He is not a flashy carrier of the ball, even though his 55.0% take-on success rate ranks him in the 63rd percentile of all midfielders in Europe’s Top 5 leagues in the past 365 days.
‘And he is not a defensive mauler; despite a high tackle success rate, his volume of defensive actions is on the lower side for his position.
‘But the one thing he does extraordinarily well (for my money, second best in the world behind Toni Kroos) is consistently progress play from a deep-lying position with his precise long passing.’
According to Spanish outlet AS, Garcia’s price tag is between €15-20million (£12.8-17million).