According to reports in The Sun, Leicester City are ready to battle Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion for the signing of Lokomotiv Moscow centre-back Solomon Kvirkvelia during the January transfer window.

The Sun says that the duo are keen on the 25-year-old after he has enjoyed an outstanding campaign for his team, who are currently eight points clear of Zenit Saint Petersburg at the top of the Russian Premier League with 10 matches of the season left.

The report adds that despite the fact the 6ft 4in defender only joined Lokomotiv on a permanent deal following a successful loan spell from Rubin Kazan earlier this year, he is keen on a move to the English top flight.

Leicester are keen while West Brom could also move for the Georgia international if they sell captain Jonny Evans next month.

Meanwhile, West Ham United will be hoping they have turned a corner after seven points from the last nine available lifted them out of the Premier League relegation zone, but David Moyes will still want to strengthen certain areas of his squad during the upcoming window, and bringing Kvirkvelia to the London Stadium could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons West Ham should hijack Leicester's bid to sign the Georgian…

Future centre-back options

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While West Ham have kept three successive Premier League clean sheets over the course of the last fortnight, Moyes will still already be thinking about strengthening his centre-back options for the future.

James Collins and Jose Fonte are both the wrong side of 30, while Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna both celebrate their 30th birthdays in 2018.

The Scottish boss may want to bring in a younger centre-back who still isn't too inexperienced, and Kvirkvelia would certainly fit the bill having played more than 150 games in Russia and in European competition for Rubin Kazan and Lokomotiv Moscow, as well as picking up 25 caps for Georgia.

His style of play

Football Soccer - Georgia v Moldova - 2018 World Cup Qualifying European Zone - Group D - Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia - 12/11/16. Georgia's Solomon Kverkvelia in action against Moldova's Maxim Mihaliov. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Kvirkvelia has proven during his career that he is something of a no-nonsense defender who loves a battle, and he certainly has all of the attributes to not only be a success in the Premier League, but also to become a firm fans' favourite for the London Stadium faithful.

According to WhoScored.com, the 6ft 5in centre-back has won 57 of the 82 aerial duels he has faced in 26 appearances in the Russian Premier League and Europa League this term, as well as making 46 successful tackles, 54 interceptions, 203 clearances and 39 blocks.

His character, aggression and the fact that he can also be a threat in the opposition penalty area – he has two league goals to his name this season – show that he could prove be a worthwhile addition.

Price tag

While £18m may be a lot for West Ham depending on what budget that Moyes is given for new players during the January transfer window, you would think that it is a price that would be negotiable considering the player is reportedly so keen to come to the Premier League.

In any case, in this day and age that amount isn't considered such a big fee, and for a 25-year-old defender that could be at the heart of the Irons' backline for the next four or five years and with the potential to become a fans' favourite, he could be worth every penny.

Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.