West Ham United’s chase for Maxi Gomez is officially over.
Mercifully, the saga surrounding West Ham United and striker Maxi Gomez is over, as he has officially signed for Valencia.
The Hammers have been chasing Gomez for most of the summer, but had been unable to get a deal over the line, with Valencia breathing down their necks.
Celta Vigo ended up cashing in on Gomez in a deal with Valencia, which saw ex-Celta youngster Santi Mina return to his former club, and the move was confirmed on Sunday.
It sadly forces West Ham to go back into the transfer market to find another striker, but they’ve already learned how much it will cost to sign Gomez.
In Valencia’s statement confirming Gomez’s arrival, they announced that Gomez has a €140million release clause in his contract, which converts to around £125million.
That’s an eye-watering figure, especially when you consider that many La Liga clubs will point to the release clause and often won’t negotiate below that.
West Ham struggled to get a payment plan in place for about a third of that price, so they now have no chance at paying that £125million price any time soon.
If Gomez flops at Valencia, they may be able to revisit the 22-year-old’s signature at a later date, but after 30 goals in 73 outings for Celta, he’s on a path to stardom with Valencia.
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