Graziano Pelle’s £260,000-a-week contract at Shandong Luneng has expired with the West Ham United target now a free agent, the Italy international explained on Instagram.
Four years after swapping Southampton for the Far East, the one-time St Mary’s favourite could be heading for a shock return to Britain.
He may be 35 but his eye for goal remains as sharp as ever. Pelle scored 61 times in China, including 27 in a stunning 2019 season, and may be about to remind us all why he was one of the most feared strikers in England not so long ago.
Tuttomercatoweb reports that West Ham are keen and this feels like a potentially inspired bit of business, even if the Hammers have a far from impressive record when it comes to signing big-name veterans.
With another anonymous Sebastien Haller display fresh in the memory, after the £40 million Frenchman slumped badly in Friday’s 1-0 win at Everton, the arrival of a battle-scarred, 6ft 4ins war-horse of a centre-forward may be well-received at the London Stadium.
Pelle would have little choice but to accept a substantial pay cut, however. Neither West Ham nor Juventus, who have also been linked via Goal, would be willing to offer anything close to the £260,000-a-week pay-packet the 20-capped Italian took home in China.
“Thanks so much for everything,” Pelle wrote on Instagram, bidding farewell to Shandong Luneng.
“I’ll never forget all the amazing people I met. All of you left a big memory in my soul.”
Former Southampton coach Ronald Koeman described Pelle as one of the Premier League’s finest strikers five years ago (ESPN).
And, with Aaron Cresswell, Jarrod Bowen and Vladimir Coufal providing plenty of ammunition from out wide, the man-mountain targetman could make an immediate impact if he returns to England with West Ham this month.
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