West Ham have made a formal bid for Alaves centre-back Guillermo Maripan, according to the Daily Mail.

The Hammers are believed to have offered £9.5m for the defender, with the London club reportedly hopeful that a deal will be concluded.

Roma are said to be West Ham’s main rivals for Maripan so Manuel Pellegrini’s side may have a fight on their hands for the Chilean.

Alaves could look to start a bidding war for the centre-back with the centre-half’s release clause currently set at approximately £21m.

Maripan has been part of a defence that has conceded 45 goals in 35 matches in La Liga this season. It may not be one of the best defensive records in the division but the Chilean has helped marshall an unfancied team to eighth in the table with three games to go.

It would be Alaves’s best finish since being promoted back to the top flight three years ago.