According to BILD’s Marc Schmidt, West Ham are being used to tempt the likes of Chelsea and Juventus into a deal for Filip Kostic.
What’s the story?
Well, this is a twist for David Moyes.
West Ham have already had a £12.5m bid rejected for Kostic by Eintracht Frankfurt, who are demanding £17m to sell the 2022 Europa League Player of the Year.
The Serbia international himself is said to be considering a move to east London, having already rejected offers from two sides in the Champions League.
However, Schmidt doesn’t believe West Ham have a genuine chance of signing Kostic, and believes the 29-year-old’s representatives have leaked the news in an attempt to spark another side into action.
Chelsea and Juventus are mentioned in BILD as two clubs who could be tempted into a deal.
Schmidt adds that Eintracht Frankfurt supporters also cannot understand what Kostic would gain from moving to the London Stadium.
For one, the Serbian would be swapping Champions League football for a spot in the UEFA Conference League.
You may argue that Kostic could earn a pay rise at West Ham.
However, he has entered the final 12 months of his contract, and is therefore able to discuss pre-contract agreements with clubs outside of Germany in January.
Usually, free agents receive an inflated salary due to the lack of a transfer fee, so if Kostic sees out his contract with Eintracht Frankfurt, he could receive a significant pay packet in 2023.
Chelsea should hijack West Ham deal
In our view, Kostic would be perfect for Chelsea.
Thomas Tuchel uses wing-backs at Stamford Bridge, a position Kostic thrived in last season as he helped Eintracht Frankfurt win the Europa League while operating at left wing-back.
The Eintracht Frankfurt No.10 scored seven goals, while also providing 15 assists, in that area, so we believe he would shine for the Blues if used in a similar role.
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