West Ham are interested in signing Getafe centre-back Djene Dakonam, according to The Express.
Leicester see the 27-year-old as a replacement for Harry Maguire if he completes his move to Manchester United, while the Hammers are looking for stronger depth at centre-back.
The Togo international has a release clause of £31m, though Getafe are reportedly willing to consider offers of £18m plus add ons.
Dakonam started 34 league matches across the 2018/19 campaign for Getafe, picking up 11 yellows and two reds, as per WhoScored.
In those games, he averaged 1.6 tackles, 2.2 interceptions, 4.4 clearances and 0.3 blocks.
If he were to make a move to Stratford, Dakonam would most likely be battling with Fabian Balbuena for a place in the starting line up, as it is very unlikely Issa Diop would be dropped to the bench after a £45m bid for the Frenchman was rejected this summer, as reported by The Express.
Balbuena made 23 league appearances for West Ham last season, scoring once and picking up two yellow cards, as per WhoScored.
Last season the Paraguayan made 1.7 tackles, 2.3 interceptions 7.5 clearances and 0.6 blocks per game.
Balbuena was better than Dakonam in every one of the aforementioned categories, while he also picked up a lot fewer cards, which indicates the West Ham man is the better option of the two.
If West Ham are going to spend £18m or more on a centre-back, it should at least be someone who will start, especially when the club has other areas that need strengthening.
There is nothing above to indicate that Dakonam would be an improvement on Balbuena, so West Ham should look elsewhere for a cheaper option.
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