West Ham transfer spurned by Barcelona forward despite ‘lucrative’ offer
A Barcelona forward has flippantly rejected the chance of a ‘lucrative’ move to West Ham after it was claimed he will no longer play for a ‘lower-middle’ club, according to a report.
West Ham have endured a frustrating time in the transfer window thus far. Craig Dawson remains their only major acquisition after his loan spell was turned permanent. Nevertheless, David Moyes retains hopes of bolstering his ranks in the coming weeks.
Additions at centre-half, striker and in the wide forwards have been speculated across the media.
Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic and Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma were both linked. However, Milenkovic has signed a new contract in Florence and Zouma will likely command too high of a fee.
Said Benrahma’s pre-season and opening weekend form could soften the blow of failing to bring Jesse Lingard back on board. West Ham coach Stuart Pearce revealed they still harbour ambitions of re-signing the 28-year-old.
With the clock ticking down and Man Utd stocked in the forward ranks, that deal was given a new ray of hope on Tuesday.
Finally, a striker switch to provide adequate back-up to Michail Antonio has been touted. Antonio is more than a handful for any defence he comes up against. But nagging hamstring issues have plagued the 31-year-old in recent seasons.
As such, Caught Offside (citing Spanish outlet SPORT) reveal West Ham made a ‘proposal’ to sign Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite.
The Dane is one of several stars at the Camp Nou who has been put up for sale. Barcelona are in debt to the tune of £1.15 billion and are desperately seeking to alleviate their giant wage bill.
But the article claims Braithwaite has no intentions of quitting the glitz and glamour of playing for a European powerhouse.
Despite a move to the Premier League described as being more ‘lucrative’ for Braithwaite personally, he does not wish to join a club in the ‘lower-middle’ hierarchy.
Brighton are also reported to have made an approach, and they too have been rebuffed.
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West Ham, Tottenham transfer plans postponed
Meanwhile, Tottenham and West Ham will have to wait until next summer to land a Serie A target after his club announced a new contract has been signed.
West Ham and Wolves were reported to be in the mix for Fiorentina centre-half, Nikola Milenkovic. However, the Hammers’ efforts stalled after failing to reach an agreement over the Serbian’s €18m-€20m valuation.
That left the door open for Tottenham to stride through, but they too have been left empty-handed after Fiorentina announced Milenkovic has penned a new contract.
The 23-year-old was due to be a free agent next summer. However, he has now agreed a 12-month extension running until 2023.
That will likely mean Milenkovic could be available for transfer again next summer to avoid a free agent departure the year after.
READ MORE: Final West Ham offer imminent, as Man Utd drop Jesse Lingard price
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