West Ham United have made an offer for Borussia Monchengladbach centre-back Nico Elvedi.
What's the talk?
That's according to Andreas Boni, with the Swiss journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, despite OGC Nice holding a long-term interest in the centre-back, the Ligue 1 side now have serious competition in the race for the 25-year-old's signature - with David Moyes believed to have tabled an offer for the Switzerland international.
The former Arsenal and Manchester City target is believed to be available for a figure in the region of £16m this summer, although the value of West Ham's offer for the defender is not revealed by Boni - while the Swiss reporter also suggested that Elvedi remaining at Borussia-Park is still a possibility for the centre-back.
In his tweet, the journalist said: "Nice has competition: Premier League club West Ham has made an offer for Nico Elvedi. Stay in Gladbach like a change possible."
Varane 2.0
Considering just how impressive Elvedi has been for Gladbach ever since his arrival at the club back in the summer of 2015, it is not difficult to understand why Arsenal, Manchester City and now West Ham have all been keen to bring the centre-back to the Premier League.
Indeed, the £16.2m-rated talent's time at Borussia-Park is summarised nicely by his performances over his four Bundesliga appearances so far this season, with the defender helping his side keep one clean sheet, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, one tackle, 2.5 clearances and winning 3.0 duels - at a success rate of 71% - per game.
The £26k-per-week centre-back has also impressed with the ball at his feet, enjoying an average of 81 touches, completing 69 passes - at a success rate of 94% - and playing 2.0 long balls per fixture, as well as chipping in going forwards with one goal.
These returns have seen the 38-cap international who Derek Rae dubbed a "scoring sensation" average an eye-catching SofaScore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as Monchengladbach's sixth-best performer in the top flight of German football in 2022/23.
However, while it is clear to see that Elvedi is extremely solid at the back, in addition to posing a very real threat going forwards - having scored 12 goals and registered nine assists over his 241 appearances for Gladbach - it is undoubtedly the defender's passing ability that stands out as his best trait.
Indeed, according to FBref, the 25-year-old ranks in the top 2% of centre-backs in Europe's big five leagues and European competitions for passes completed and the top 17% for passes attempted per 90 over the last 365 days - with these returns seeing the website list Raphael Varane - a player who also excels in passing statistics - as Elvedi's most comparable player.
As such, with Craig Dawson looking to be on his way out of the London Stadium in the coming days, it is indeed easy to see why Moyes looks to have made a move for the Swiss sensation, and, should the 59-year-old manage to get a deal over the line for the centre-back in the coming days, he could well have unearthed his very own Varane in east London.