West Ham’s Marko Arnautovic appears to be a wanted man in China.
West Ham United have tied up one January signing by bringing in Samir Nasri on a free transfer, but the latest rumour surrounds a potential outgoing.
Star forward Marko Arnautovic has been a talisman for West Ham over the last year, overcoming a dismal start to his move from Stoke City to become a fan favourite.
The Austrian, 29, has notched seven goals and two assists in 15 Premier League games this season, continuing to lead the line admirably under Manuel Pellegrini.
He did seem unhappy at being substituted early against Birmingham City last weekend, and now rumours are linking him with a shock exit.
The Daily Mail report that an unnamed Chinese club have offered a huge £36million deal for Arnautovic, but West Ham have rejected the offer and have little intention of selling.
It would though be interesting to see if their stance would change if the offer reached more than £50million, but a move to China still doesn’t seem realistic.
If Arnautovic was to move on, signing for a Champions League club would make much more sense rather than heading off to the Far East for a money-spinning contract.
West Ham fans have been taking to Twitter to react, with some torn about whether to cash in at his highest value now, or whether to reject all offers, doubting that he would want a move to China anyway.
Others are a little concerned that Arnautovic could be another Dimitri Payet in terms of forcing a January move, as Payet did in 2017, with West Ham really hoping to avoid such a situation.
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