£26 million Russia international Aleksandr Golovin insists that he never received a ‘specific offer’ from West Ham United while admitting that he’d be keen on a move to the Premier League, speaking to Sport Express.
Reports linking the Monaco playmaker with a move across the Channel have almost become something of an annual tradition these days. A transfer window without Golovin, in fact, is almost like a James Bond film without a shaken martini.
So it would have come as a surprise to precisely no one when reports emerged in January suggesting that West Ham were lining up a winter bid for a player who shot to fame at the 2018 World Cup, before bouncing back from a difficult start to life in France to become a key player at Monaco.
Whether there was any truth to the rumours, however, is another matter entirely.
Monaco’s Vice President Oleg Petrov insisted, at the time, that ‘there have been no offers from West Ham for Golovin’.
The man himself, meanwhile, would be tempted by the chance to make his mark on the other side of the Channel. But, as far as he knows, West Ham’s rumoured interest is just that. A rumour.
Are West Ham United really interested in Monaco ace Aleksandr Golovin?
“Getting into the Premier League, of course, would be cool. This is a very strong championship,” explains the 26-year-old playmaker, who shone during Monaco’s 2-1 triumph over Lyon on Sunday.
“But I think that there is a big difference between the top five and teams below tenth or twelfth place. As for West Ham, you can’t say that I didn’t want to (go). There was no specific offer.
“It didn’t get to the point where I was asked if I was ready to go or not.”
West Ham are unlikely to make an approach for Golovin any time soon. Lucas Paqueta’s arrival seemingly removes the need for a new attacking midfield arrival, the Brazil international joining Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma at the London Stadium.
One club who did try to sign Golovin in January, however, are Newcastle United.
“(The rumours are) definitely not fake. Negotiations between Monaco and Newcastle on Sasha Golovin (happened in January),” says the midfielder’s agent Alexander Klyuev.
“Of course, I can’t reveal the details.”
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