West Brom have wanted Sporting Lisbon Adrien Silva since as far back as 2013 but it appears that he is heading to a Premier League rival instead.
West Brom always appeared to be embarking upon an uphill struggle attempting to lure Adrien Silva to The Hawthorns.
The Sporting Lisbon skipper has featured regularly in the Champions League in recent seasons and is now a seasoned Portuguese international at the age of 28. He played a major role as Fernando Santos’ underdogs won the first major trophy in their history by seizing the Euro 2016 title from France’s grasp.
Consequently, Silva has been linked relentlessly with some of England’s most prestigious clubs. The Sun claims that Tottenham, who have been tracking the midfielder for some time, have made two bids this summer, the second reaching £26 million.
Adrien Silva made Europe sit up and take notice at Euro 2016
Silva is a known target of manager Mauricio Pochettino, whose side will challenge for the Premier League title while attempting to go further in Europe next season.
Therefore, the prospect of Silva rejecting European football in North London or Merseyside for a team who finished tenth in the Premier League last season always appeared unlikely. And so it has proved, with Diario de Noticias (4th July, page 28) claiming that the tenacious midfielder has rejected the chance to join West Brom as he does not want to play for a mid-table side.
Has the dream died?
Despite The Baggies’ being backed by wealthy Chinese investors, it appears that they will have to do more than secure a top half Premier League finish in order to entice the more ambitious transfer targets to the Midlands.
Though news that Silva will not be posing for photographs at The Hawthorns this summer is still a major blow for West Brom. After all, they have tracked the French-born enforcer since as far back as 2013.
The Mirror reported four years ago that Silva had caught West Brom’s eye with his performances for Portugal’s Under-21 side. Silva, who was also linked with West Ham and Blackburn, was reportedly valued at just £4 million.
Flash forward to the present day and the 28-year-old is now worth around £20 million more. And he appears to be beyond West Brom’s reach.
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