According to Dharmesh Sheth of Sky Sports, Filip Kostic has rejected two Champions League sides, but not West Ham.
What’s the story?
Well, after wrapping up a £35.5m deal for Gianluca Scamacca, David Moyes is now trying to sign the Serbia international.
The Hammers have already failed with a £12.5m bid for the 2022 Europa League Player of the Tournament, but in terms of convincing Kostic to join, it seems they might have a chance.
Sheth said: “Kostic has already turned down two offers from Champions League clubs, and he would consider West Ham United – but, he wants to weigh up his options. He believes this will be the last big contract he signs in his career. He is also conscious that he has four months until he can sign a pre-contract agreement with a club outside of Germany.”
Now, that is quite the compliment to West Ham.
Kostic also has Champions League football right on his doorstep with Eintracht Frankfurt, so it speaks volumes that he is giving serious consideration to West Ham’s proposal.
In our view, the salary on offer could lure him to east London.
The Hammers are supposedly willing to hand Kostic a weekly wage of £120,000-a-week, which would immediate make him the joint-highest earner alongside Kurt Zouma.
In our view, that could potentially cause issues in the dressing room for David Moyes, but there’s no denying that the 29-year-old is a quality player who would deliver for the Hammers.
Last season, Kostic scored seven goals, while also providing 15 assists.
Additionally, since August 2018, the Serbian technician has matched Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jadon Sancho for assists with 44 setups to his name.
West Ham must work hard to convince Filip Kostic
When speaking about Kostic live on Sky Sports, Sheth made an interesting point.
As you will have read above, the Sky Sports journalist mentioned that the Eintracht Frankfurt No.10 is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of Germany in January.
That is because his contract expires in June 2023.
Usually, players who complete free transfers are given an inflated salary due to the lack of a transfer fee, so it is highly possible that Kostic waits to see who approaches him this winter.
Furthermore, if he impresses at the World Cup with Serbia, he will surely become one of the most in-demand footballers across Europe.
Therefore, West Ham may struggle to convince Kostic now, when so much is on the horizon for him.
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