When speaking on the West Ham Way podcast last night (Thursday, August 1st), ExWHUemployee suggested that Alaves ace Guillermo Maripan is unlikely to join the Hammers this summer due to his hefty price-tag.

West Ham are interested in signing the Chile international, according to a report from the Daily Mail, but the Spanish club are allegedly asking for in excess of £9.5 million.

The east London outfit have looked incredibly shaky in defence during pre-season, so the addition of another quality centre-back certainly wouldn't go a miss.

And Maripan would fit the bill perfectly. He's big and strong, and relishes the physical battle. His playing style is quintessentially South American. And he seems to be the ideal fit for the robust nature of the Premier League.

ExWHUemployee claimed that it is highly unlikely that the 25-year-old will be joining West Ham this summer, however:

There's been talk of Maripan, who I've mentioned many times before on this show. At the moment I think his price is going to be too high for us to be able to conclude a deal for him. But I think if we could get him for around £5-8 million, then we would go for him. But at the moment, that's not looking likely.

West Ham have also been linked with moves for Aaron Long and Gary Cahill.

Manuel Pellegrini has four senior centre-backs currently at his disposal.

If he is not happy with any of them, however, he needs to act fast, with the transfer window set to close next week.

The post Insider: West Ham will only sign 6ft 4in beast if he's available for under £8m appeared first on Hammers News.