West Ham United forward Marko Arnautovic is reportedly attracting interest from China.
Stuart Pearce has claimed that Marko Arnautovic will ‘stay’ at West Ham and sign a new ‘lucrative’ deal with the club amid growing interest from China.
The Evening Standard claims that the Hammers will try to keep their star man at the club this month with Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG ready to make a new bid of £45 million for his services.
Former England defender Pearce, who was assistant to David Moyes at the London Stadium last season, offered his thoughts on Arnautovic, which will interest the club’s fans.
“Bearing in mind they paid £25 million for him, they are talking £36 million, I wouldn’t take that,” Pearce told Sky Sports’ The Debate Show on 15/01/2019 at 10:55 pm.
“I think he will end up signing a new contract, a more lucrative contract to stay at West Ham.”
The biggest indicator that Arnautovic could be heading for the exit door was his reaction to leaving the field of play when West Ham beat Arsenal 1-0 over the weekend.
Manuel Pellegrini opted to substitute his forward midway through the second half and as he was leaving the field, he waved to the home crowd like he was saying his goodbyes.
Initially, Arnautovic struggled to prove his worth when he moved to east London from Stoke City during the summer of 2017, but the arrival of Moyes and his assistant Pearce later on that season changed everything.
Moyes opted to play the Austrian through the middle which resulted in him scoring more goals and being more of a threat in the attacking third.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
