West Ham United’s on-off move for Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario has had more twists and turns than the London Stadium’s Orbital Tower.
As reported by the Daily Mail, West Ham United have reopened talks about the prospect of bringing Joao Mario to the club this month.
West Ham have been linked with a move for the Portugal midfielder ever since David Moyes publicly stated his desire to recruit more midfielders in the January window.
Mario has been a flop since a huge £40 million move to Inter Milan after his impressive performances which helped Portugal win Euro 2016.
Inter are keen to offload him, especially now they have signed Rafinha from Barcelona on loan with the option to buy for £30 million.
Moyes wants players who can help West Ham look after the ball better and Mario is one of his prime targets, as reported by The Sun.
The move has been very much on then off so far this window, though, with talk the player could not make up his mind whether East London was the right choice for the next chapter of his career.
West Ham’s need has become even more acute in light of devastating injuries to Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic and Andy Carroll adding to those already on the sidelines such as Michail Antonio, Edimilson Fernandes, Winston Reid, Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew.
And there was some encouraging news when the Daily Mail claimed late last night that talks are back on.
With injuries striking at the worst possible time, Mario is seen as a direct replacement for Lanzini, although West Ham will have to pay the player’s wages in full even if they wish to bring him in on a temporary deal, with either a loan fee or an obligation to buy.
That does not appear to have put the club off, so it seems West Ham are in pole position to land their man but must be patient to get the deal over the line.
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