West Ham are reportedly set to sanction the sale of Edson Alvarez in the summer transfer window.
Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports exclusively broke the news on Monday night that 1. FC Koln are 'exploring a deal' to sign Hammers midfielder Alvarez, with the 28-year-old Mexican 'opening to joining' the Bundesliga outfit on a permanent deal.
While the deal was initially described by Plettenberg as 'difficult to complete', he's since revealed that West Ham are '100% ready to sell' the player as he seeks a new challenge away from the club.
Koln aren't alone in their interest for Alvarez -- with other clubs keen -- but Effzeh are in contact with the Championship outfit and a loan deal could 'also be an option' if the two parties can't agree on a fee.
Alvarez captured the attention of a number of clubs whilst plying his trade for Ajax between 2019 and 2023, but it was West Ham who won the race to secure his signature -- signing him for a reported £35m fee.
The Mexican played 31 Premier League games in a successful debut 2023/24 campaign in England, playing a key role as the Irons secured a ninth-placed finish.
While he did feature on 28 occasions in the 2024/25 top-flight term, he played a lesser role due to the occasional knock and seemingly wasn't fancied by Graham Potter ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
He spent the entirety of last season on loan with Turkish outfit Fenerbahce but was once again hindered by injury -- playing just 18 games in all competitions -- and so West Ham's decision to sanction a permanent or temporary sale upon their return to the Championship is hardly surprising.
West Ham have already confirmed the departure of Mateus Fernandes -- who has joined Tottenham for a fee in the region of £85m -- and so the added exit of Alvarez could force the club into the market for a midfielder, with Nottingham Forest's James McAtee amongst the names linked.
