Manuel Pellegrini could build his dream West Ham United side with Arnautovic’s reported price-tag.
West Ham United are keen to keep hold of last term’s top-scorer Marko Arnautovic this summer, amid serious interest from Manchester United (Sky Sports), and have slapped a hefty £60 million price tag on the Austrian, according to the Daily Star.
The price – obviously set to deter United – would give Pellegrini all he needs to finish the deals for some of the marquee names he has been linked with this summer, and secretly part of him may be hoping Jose Mourinho matches the valuation.
The Chilean has expressed his desire to get West Ham playing attacking and progressive football next term, and has identified the midfield as vital in achieving this. So far though, deals for two-time Premier League winner Yaya Toure and Paris Saint Germain star Javier Pastore have stalled.
The Ivorian preferably wants a top-six side, while Pastore is after £190,000-a-week, with the Hammers falling short in their offer of £140,000-a-week (TuttoMercatoWeb). However the instant £60 million boost would allow the Hammers to offer figures closer to the player’s demands.
Pellegrini could also revisit his interest in Nice’s Jean Michael Seri, having been initially put off by his reported £35 million asking price (the Sun), effectively reshaping the midfield with two elite level players.
If the West Ham manager is only looking for one midfield addition, the added funds could go a long way to wrapping up negotiations for Lazio’s Brazilian speedster Felipe Anderson, who has a reported £44million price on his services (Sky Sports).
West Ham fans would obviously be irked by losing an important member of the team, but in the long run it could be a shrewd business move, and could improve the overall quality of the Hammers squad ahead of next season.
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