West Ham United are prepared to spend big on Edson Álvarez to replace Declan Rice

The long-distance tango between Edson Álvarez and elite European football continues to drive on, the music seemingly never-ending. His relationship with Ajax seems broken and West Ham look like the team to ‘save’ him, as they are looking for a replacement after the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal earlier in the summer transfer window.

As broken by The Athletic, the London-based side would be willing to pay €40 million to sign the Club América academy graduate. In fact, the report claims that some of the Rice money would directly be put towards any potential deal for their desired midfielder.

Will Álvarez leave Ajax this summer?

On various occasions, Edson Álvarez himself has let it be known that his wish is to leave the Dutch league and seek pastures new. The midfielder, however, is a useful piece in the Ajax puzzle, as his skill combined with his flexibility (he can also drop in as a centre-back) make him a valued member of the squad. But it is clear his future lies elsewhere, and never was it more obvious than when everything pointed to him agreeing a deal with German giants, Borussia Dortmund.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly and Edson was in pole position to take on the job left by departing midfielder, Jude Bellingham, who went to Real Madrid. However, the deal ultimately - and mysteriously - collapsed and it later came out that the manager, Edin Terzic, had decided against signing the 25-year-old.

How much will Edson Álvarez cost?

Whatever happens, it will indeed take a large sum to break Edson out of Ajax, as his value sits somewhere around €35 million in today’s market, but this is Ajax, who do not sell cheap. They will be particularly keen to get everything out of a potential deal with the UEFA Conference League champions if they are to see another one of their first team stars go, after they sold Jurren Timber to Arsenal for a fee of over €40 million.