Pundit thinks £7m West Ham man has a ‘great opportunity’ waiting for him elsewhere

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Ernesto Calisti has told TuttoMercatoWEB that West Ham United winger Felipe Anderson has a ‘great opportunity’ waiting for him by returning to Lazio this summer.

The Serie A side are striving to reshape their squad to better suit the system favoured by Maurizio Sarri. The Italian has taken charge at the Stadio Olimpico after a year out following his brief spell with Juventus.

Calisti feels Anderson is one Lazio should target as the players currently in Rome are not right for Sarri. The Biancocelesti have already shown an interest in pursuing the Brazilian, who Corriere dello Sport claim also dreams of returning.

West Ham paid Lazio a then club-record £36m to sign Anderson in 2018 but are now only demanding €8m (£7m). The Hammers fear a total loss on the 28-year-old as he enters the final 12-months of his contract on Thursday.

Yet Lazio are reluctant to pay West Ham that and hope to drive down their asking price to re-sign Anderson. But Calisti, a product of the Biancocelesti, would welcome any deal.

“By choosing Sarri, the club has taken a top [coach] and congratulations must be made to the club,” he said. “Now, the outgoing and incoming market must be considered, we must think about Sarri’s type of game.

“For the 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2, you need suitable players. For now, there are various names – including that of Felipe Anderson; [which] would be a very welcome return and a great opportunity for him.”

West Ham will hope Lazio listen to Calisti on Anderson

West Ham will hope Lazio listen to Calisti supporting a move for Anderson to offload the winger this summer. His former Serie A side represent arguably the Irons’ best chance at recouping a solid fee given his prior connection.

But with Lazio reluctant to step up to West Ham’s asking price, the greater the chances will be of Anderson leaving for free. A situation the Hammers will be desperate to avoid, having already written off £25m with Sebastien Haller in January.

To lose every pound spent on Anderson, plus the millions from his £85,000-per-week contract, would be catastrophic for West Ham. But there is only so much they can make back after his torrid year at Porto on loan.