Martin Braithwaite appeared to suggest he plans to spend another season at Barcelona amid claims West Ham United have agreed a deal to bring the striker to the Premier League, speaking to Marca.
That decision, however, doesn’t rest solely with Braithwaite.
Barcelona’s dire financial situation is so perilous that, with the new La Liga season just days away, Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia – not to mention a certain Lionel Messi – can’t be registered as part of the playing squad as the Catalan giants have strayed so far beyond La Liga’s salary cap.
That’s why Barca sold Junior Firpo to Leeds United for a £5 million loss.
That’s also why Miralem Pjanic and Samuel Umtiti, two players who cost the club a combined £90 million, will be allowed to leave for nothing before the summer is out.
Sport, meanwhile, claimed last week a £13 million deal had been agreed with West Ham for Braithwaite, the Denmark international who has never been anything more than a willing back-up at Camp Nou.
It was claimed Braithwaite was left out of Barca’s friendly clash with Stuttgart recently as manager Ronald Koeman feared an ill-timed injury would wreck the club’s chances of getting a seldom-seen player off their books.
Imagine the surprise, then, when Braithwaite was back in the team as Barcelona faced Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday.
He even scored in a 2-1 win.
West Ham may miss out on Martin Braithwaite
“I’m looking forward to finishing our preparation well and to having a good season,” Braithwaite told Marca.
West Ham may have qualified for Europe this season but even the most rose-tinted of supporters would struggle to argue Hammers aren’t a substantial step down from Barcelona – albeit a Barcelona side at a low ebb.
At least, that appears to be what Braithwaite is thinking.
The former Middlesbrough benchwarmer isn’t going to walk away from the biggest club of his career so readily.
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