West Ham United target Aaron Hickey is a 'cheaper alternative' to Lucas Digne amid growing interest in the Bologna defender, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.
Digne departed Everton for Aston Villa in a £25 million deal, with Steven Gerrard's charges reportedly seeing off competition from Chelsea, Newcastle United and the Hammers for his signature.
What is the latest news involving Hickey?
And David Moyes may now turn his attention to his fellow countryman Hickey as the Scottish tactician continues to search for defensive reinforcements.
According to West Ham insider ExWHUemployee, the east London outfit were put off Digne due to high wage demands and have now turned their attention to the 19-year-old left-back.
On a recent episode of The West Ham Way podcast, it was claimed that Moyes is looking to get 'someone a bit younger with a bit more to prove' through the doors at the London Stadium, and Hickey 'fits the bill'.
However, the east London outfit are far from the only interested party in the 6 foot gem's services.
Italian outlet CalcioMercato claim Manchester City, Burnley and Hickey's former club Celtic are also in the running for the promising teenager should he depart in the January transfer window.
Despite the extensive interest in the versatile full-back, O'Rourke believes he would demand a lower transfer fee than Digne and could be a cheaper option to the more experienced Frenchman.
What has O'Rourke said about Hickey?
Hickey - who is valued at £11.7 million by Transfermarkt - is currently enjoying a fabulous second season with Bologna.
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In 19 Serie A appearances throughout 2021/22, he has bagged an impressive four goals, and O'Rourke has claimed the Scotsman could prove to be a more cost-effective alternative for West Ham.
He told GiveMeSport: “Yeah, definitely a cheaper alternative to Lucas Digne. West Ham wouldn't have been able to get to the transfer fee or even maybe the wages for Lucas Digne.”
Would Hickey be a good signing for West Ham?
Hickey burst onto the scene back in 2019 when he became the youngest ever player to feature in a Scottish Cup Final at just 16 years and 348 days old.
After just 34 appearances for boyhood club Hearts, he turned down the advances of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in search of regular game time at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Despite a tricky maiden campaign for Bologna where he started just 10 Serie A games and suffered a serious injury, Hickey has showcased his true potential this time around.
The youngster has been awarded a WhoScored rating of 6.83 for his eye-catching efforts, the third-highest total amongst his teammates, indicating why he is in such high demand.
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