Deulofeu snubs West Ham interest for £14m Napoli transfer

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West Ham have reportedly missed out the signing of Spanish international and former Premier League star Gerard Deulofeu, with the Udinese attacker close to joining Napoli in a €16m (£14m) deal.

According to CalcioMercato, the UEFA Champions League side have fully agreed a move for the 28-year-old forward, with Napoli confident that an offer of £14m will be enough to convince the Pozzo family to sell Deulofeu this summer after an incredible season from the former Everton star.

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Deulofeu bagged 13 goals and five assists in Serie A, with the Spaniard’s form catching the eye of West Ham, who were reportedly interested in signing the Udinese star this summer with David Moyes eager to improve the club’s striking options for next season.

West Ham once again finished in a European place in the Premier League last term. However, a lack of options up front was arguably the Irons’ downfall as the majority of the goalscoring came down to just Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen.

Indeed, Deulofeu could have been a reliable and experienced attacker to bring in this summer, with the former FC Barcelona star labelled as ‘majestic’ by Italian media last season for his performances for Udinese. However, it now looks like Napoli have won the race for the attacker.

West Ham must move on to other targets as Napoli sign Deulofeu

Deulofeu has developed well since moving to Italy, and a return to England with West Ham would have been an ideal next step for the 28-year-old attacker. Yet with Napoli now close to signing the forward, the Irons must move on to new targets sooner rather than later.

Options in the frontline will take West Ham to the next level next season, and whilst Deulofeu would have been ideal, the Hammers can’t be too hung up on losing out on the forward to Napoli, with Moyes likely to make a swift move for an alternative in the coming weeks.