West Ham United remain in talks over the signing of Swansea City ace Alfie Mawson, according to Sky Sports News.

Mawson is one of West Ham's top targets this summer and the East London clubs have moved to closer to an agreement over this deal.

New West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has made strengthening his centre-back options a priority after the club lost Jose Fonte in January and have now released James Collins.

With youngsters Reece Burke and Reece Oxford unsure on what their future holds, this leaves West Ham with just Angelo Ogbonna, teenager Declan Rice and injury-prone Winston Reid on their books.

Mawson has been seen as a key target, alongside Toulouse youngster Issa Diop and Barcelona's Marlon Santos, as he stood out in Swansea's struggling team last season.

The 24-year-old was so impressive that he played himself into contention for the England senior side.

According to Sky sources, West Ham have been targeting two Swansea players: Mawson and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Both clubs remain locked in negotiations over these deals and they are edging closer to agreeing on the structure of the payments, having decided rough respective transfer fees.

Other reports suggest that Fabianski will cost £7m while Swansea will accept around £20m for Mawson.

The Verdict

Mawson is just what West Ham need: a young, solid and reliable centre-half, who has the potential to grow into one of the top defenders for club and country.

At £20m, he is not cheap but he is an investment and he would definitely add quality and depth to West Ham's back line.

This is also a sensible move for the player; he is knocking on the door for the national team and a good year at West Ham would surely improve his chances of making Gareth Southgate's squad.

Swansea fans - What do you make of this news? Let us know below...