Ben Davies is a product of the Preston North End academy (Getty Images)
According to the Sunday Mirror (h/t Lancashire Live), West Ham are interested in completing a deal for Preston North End centre-back Ben Davies before the domestic deadline on October 16.
However, the 25-year-old is unlikely to come cheap, with the Lilywhites refusing to budge on their £10million valuation of the defender. West Ham boss David Moyes is keen to bolster his backline and has set his sights on several Championship stars. (h/t Lancashire Live)
A youth product of Preston North End, Ben Davies made his senior breakthrough at Deepdale way back during the 2012-13 season. However, it was only in 2017-18 that he managed to establish himself as a regular starter for the Lilywhites.
The 25-year-old has registered a total of 130 appearances for Preston in all competitions, accumulating 2 goals and 3 assists in the process.
Bringing in a new centre-back has been on West Ham’s agenda throughout the summer after they conceded as many as 62 goals in the Premier League last season. However, the Hammers failed to get deals over the line for any of their top targets, most notably James Tarkowski, before the international deadline.
The East Londoners recently ended up signing Craig Dawson on a season-long loan deal from Watford to ease their defensive worries. But the sorry state of West Ham’s backline necessitates further investment, with Dawson only a temporary fix.
Angelo Ogbonna is nearing the latter stages of his career at 32 while Fabian Balbuena has struggled for consistency since his move at the London Stadium two years ago. Winston Reid hasn’t been in the first-team mix for ages and is currently out on loan in the United States.
To put things into perspective, West Ham should ideally look to bring in a talented young centre-back and Ben Davies ticks the box as a defender with untapped potential. The Englishman has been one of the top performers in the Championship over the past three seasons and has done enough to warrant a shot at the Premier League.
West Ham shouldn’t stop their pursuit of Ben Davies following the capture of Dawson, who is widely regarded as a relegation specialist in the PL despite all his experience. Realistically, the Hammers should aim higher than that and Davies seems like a perfect option for long-term stability at the back.
The 25-year-old still has his best years ahead of him and with less than 12 months remaining on his current contract, West Ham should look at the prospect of a cut-price deal before the deadline.