West Ham United may struggle to sign Joao Mario from Serie A giants Inter Milan – so have turned their attention to Harry Arter from Premier League. rivals.
Harry Arter is not even a regular in Bournemouth’s midfield these days but The Express claims that West Ham United are still set to make him one of their top summer transfer targets.
The Republic of Ireland dynamo has been one of the Cherries’ most important players in their rise to and consolidation in the Premier League but has been left behind somewhat this year. Thanks in part to the rise of Lewis Cook, Arter has started just 11 league games in 2017/18.
So supporters would be forgiven for being distinctly underwhelmed by reports in The Express that West Ham manager David Moyes is keen to prise Arter away from the south coast after seeing an £8 million bid turned down in January.
And, to make the potential deal even more dissatisfying, the report adds that Arter’s arrival would likely coincide with the failure to sign Joao Mario on a permanent deal from Inter Milan.
The Portuguese playmaker has made a real impression since joining in the New Year, adding creativity and guile going forward while also providing Javier Hernandez with some much-needed ammunition.
But it is understood that Inter want to recoup the £38 million they paid Sporting Lisbon for Mario in the summer of 2016 – a fee that would be well out of West Ham’s price range.
Nonetheless, surely they should be putting their efforts into haggling for a reduced deal before immediately turning their attention to Arter. Inter need to sell for Financial Fair Play purposes and a fee in excess of £20 million might just prove to be enough.
West Ham fans have been very critical of co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan for a perceived lack of ambition. Giving up on Mario and signing Arter would only add to the criticism.
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