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West Ham believe they have edge over rivals in bid for defender.

By Henry Tomlinson

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Norwich City at Stamford Bridge on July 14, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Norwich City at Stamford Bridge on July 14, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
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As West Ham’s search for a new defender goes on, the Hammers believe they have the edge over Tottenham in the chase for one in particular.

Both Tottenham and West Ham have been linked with loan moves for Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger in recent weeks. The London clubs both need to strengthen their backline. West Ham does not have enough options to fill their back three should one player get injured.

The Spurs are still in the hunt for a new centre-back to fill the hole left by Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian defender left the North London club at the end of the 2019/20 season when his contract expired. Vertonghen has since joined Benfica and Spurs are still trying to find a replacement.

West Ham, according to the Mirror, believes they have the edge over Tottenham in the race to sign the former Roma defender. The Hammers think that Chelsea would prefer to loan Rudiger to them over Spurs as the East Londoners are less of a threat to the Blues aims this season.

The other advantage that David Moyes side has is that Chelsea would seemingly prefer to loan Rudiger out. Tottenham’s offer for the German is a permanent one. Due to Rudiger’s contract running out in 2022, the Blues want him to sign a new extension. This extension would allow Chelsea to ask for more money for the out-of-favour defender should he be sold.

Antonio Rudiger, Chelsea
Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea is wanted by both West Ham and London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. `(Photo by Andy Rain/Pool via Getty Images) /

Rudiger’s skill set is exactly what West Ham needs if they are to continue playing with three central defenders. Tall, strong and fast, Rudiger could be an excellent addition to play alongside Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop in the starting eleven. Though West Ham will have to be careful dealing with Chelsea due to their interest in Hammers star, Declan Rice.

The other options of Aaron Cresswell and Fabian Balbuena have both proved to be error-prone and inconsistent. These are the reasons why Moyes has been chasing defender all summer long. The Hammers have also been linked with Napoli’s Nikola Maksimovic, Juventus’ Daniele Rugani, Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic and many more.

Reports have suggested that the club has bid for Milenkovic and that AC Milan have dropped their interest in the Serbian. Touted the ‘New Vidic’ the 22-year-old could be a great alternative should a move for Rudiger not be successful.

Next. West Ham face stumbling block in Vanaken pursuit. dark

The club in other news have agreed to a deal for one player Vladimir Coufal of SK Slavia Prague. The right-back is due for a medical today ahead of his deal be finalised.

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