West Ham United co-owner David Gold has denied penny pinching after Crystal Palace had a bid accepted for Marseille and Belgium star Michy Batshuayi.
Michy Batshuayi
The Hammers have long been linked with a bid for the striker, who scored in Belgium’s 4-0 win over Hungary in the last 16 of Euro 2016 – as reported by the likes of the Sky Sports.
The Marseille ace has been linked with a move to the Premier League for several months with West Ham’s rivals Tottenham Hotspur also credited with a keen interest.
Michy Batshuayi
Palace have stolen a march on Hammers
But now French publication L’Equipe has claimed Palace have stolen a march on their London rivals by agreeing a fee for the 22-year-old, as reported by the Daily Star.
The news was greeted with anger from some West Ham fans who are waiting for the heralded £30million 20-goal a season striker signing promised by Gold and his fellow co-owner David Sullivan ahead of their big move to the Olympic Stadium this summer.
West Ham’s co owner David Gold poses outside the Olympic Stadium
‘Let’s have it RIGHT’
One supporter took to Twitter to urge Gold to push through a move to trump the Eagles, accusing the club of being ‘tight’ with their money.
And Gold took to the social networking site to respond.
“It’s not about being tight, it’s about being right,” he said.
It’s not about being tight, it’s about being right. dg https://t.co/MgeNAIAA69
— David Gold (@davidgold) June 28, 2016
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic
Clock is ticking
It is claimed that Batshuayi is yet to make up his mind over a move to Selhurst Park this summer.
And with Belgium looking a decent bet to go deeper into the Euros it could be some time yet before any possible deal could be agreed.
But according to reports Marseille must sell the striker before the end of June so dire are their finances so Gold and Sullivan cannot afford to drag their heels any longer if they do plan on bringing in the fleet-footed star.
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet
Payet partnership
If the Hammers can hold on to Dimitri Payet, Batshuayi will be linking up with a former teammate if he does end up making the move to East London.
The pair combined to good effect at Marseille, although Batshuayi was an emerging talent when Payet was sold to the Hammers last summer.
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