It seems that West Ham United are still going strong for James Tarkowski. A defender is surely very high on David Moyes' list of transfer priorities and Burnley's ace seems to fit the bill.

However, in all likelihood, even if the Hammers somehow get this deal over the line, it won't be a cheap operation, that much is certain. Recently, West Ham have bid around £27m to land their target but the Clarets want more.

And they want a lot of money. Following Nathan Ake's switch from Bournemouth to Manchester City, the defenders' price tags in general have suddenly skyrocketed. For that reason, Burnley want nearly double the initial offer.

But when everything is said and done, Tarkowski just might be worth that much. And for that reason, it's quite surprising to Ally McCoist that his quality hasn't attracted more suitors.

In fact, he could definitely do much better than West Ham. Here's what he had to say about the whole transfer saga for TalkSPORT: "When you talk about £27m. That’s a great price because he’s a good player, he’s definitely a good player. You’re taking a chance on that all day.

"It would make sense to me [if he left], but I thought there would be more clubs interested, to tell you the truth. And if you’re sitting in his shoes, is it a good move for him going to West Ham at this moment in time? I’m not sure it is. Maybe he’s just hanging on to see what will happen."

Verdict

It does feel like West Ham are being quite ambitious with this signing, simply because it may cost them a small fortune. With the current circumstances limiting their budget greatly, it does beg the question whether they even have the financial power to get this deal over the line.

And if so, it will undoubtedly deplete the warchest almost entirely, leaving nothing more for additional reinforcements.

Is that the right way to go?