The West Ham United forward has been linked with a move away from the club this month.
Marko Arnautovic’s brother and agent Danijel Arnautovic spoke exclusively to talkSPORT, and dropped somewhat of a bombshell by suggesting that the 29-year-old wants to leave West Ham to pursue a career in China.
According to BBC Sport, the Hammers have received a £35m bid from an unnamed Chinese club for the Austria international, but the east London outfit are believed to be desperate to keep hold of the striker.
Arnie joined West Ham from Stoke City in the summer of 2017, for around £20 million, and he has gone on to establish himself as a real fan favourite at the London Stadium, chalking up an impressive 19 goals and 10 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions.
Unfortunately for the Hammers, however, it seems as if the forward wants to leave.
His agent Danijel Arnautovic told talkSPORT how his client is hoping that the offer from China will be accepted by West Ham:
“West Ham bought Marko for peanuts. They paid £20m for him, which is nothing in the current market. Now West Ham have a fantastic offer. It is close to double what they paid for him. He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles. This is what he wants. It is his great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China.”
If West Ham do decide to sell Arnautovic for £35 million, they will obviously have to bring in an able-bodied replacement, and in today’s market, that will not be easy to do for that kind of money.
The Austrian is vital to the Hammers, and losing him would obviously be a massive blow for Manuel Pellegrini.
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