According to The Athletic, West Ham and Newcastle are prepared to hand Chelsea a huge sum as they aim to sign Everton target Armando Broja.
What’s the story?
Well, it seems David Moyes and Eddie Howe are ready to step up their pursuit of the Albania international.
The Athletic believe Broja has no interest in another short-term stint after spending last season on loan at Southampton, where he scored nine goals in 38 appearances.
According to some sources, the 20-year-old has even been left out of Chelsea’s pre-season trip to the United States by Thomas Tuchel, with the youngster now keen to leave Stamford Bridge.
It was also said that Newcastle want to sign Broja on loan, to save money for the signing of Moussa Diaby.
However, it is now apparent that the Slough-born striker has no interest in another loan move, hence why West Ham and Newcastle are preparing significant bids.
Everton and Frank Lampard are also said to be interested in Broja, although The Athletic do not state that the Toffees are ready to spend large sums on the forward.
West Ham, Newcastle & Everton playing a risky game
According to The Athletic, the Hammers and the Magpies are now simply waiting to see what Chelsea decide to do with Broja.
In our view, that is a risky game to play, as with each passing day, they are wasting time which could be spent pursuing alternatives.
After all, two of the Premier League trio are heading for disappointment anyway, as Broja can only join one side.
In our view, Everton should withdraw from the race, as they do not look to be in a position to rival West Ham and Newcastle from a financial aspect.
Of course, Lampard has connections at Chelsea, but we feel they would only come in handy if Broja was open to another loan, which he isn’t.
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Chelsea will hopefully make a decision soon.
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