KRC Genk coach John van den Brom has suggested Paul Onuachu is set to stay at the Belgian club after West Ham United threatened to walk away from a deal, speaking to Het Laaste Nieuws.
Speaking just two weeks ago, the former AZ Alkmaar boss admitted his 35-goal top scorer was “likely to leave” the Luminus Arena before the end of August.
Onuachu, at the time, was being heavily linked with Watford while a dream move to boyhood club Arsenal also appeared to be on the cards.
West Ham, however, always looked like the most likely destination for the 6ft 7in giant, with David Moyes encouraging Davids Gold and Sullivan to make a bid earlier this month.
Genk want £25 million for the late-blooming 27-year-old, however.
And a reluctance by West Ham to soften their stance appears to be threatening Onuachu’s hopes of a long-awaited move to a major European league.
Will latest Paul Onuachu news see him miss out on West Ham move?
The Hammers are seriously considering backing away from a deal now, refusing to match Genk’s demands for a man who has only played in Denmark and Belgium.
“I don’t have the impression anyone (in my squad) really wants a transfer,” says Van den Brom, striking a far more positive tone these days.
“Nobody is throwing in the towel in training or has their mind elsewhere. Am I not afraid a few more strong players would leave before the end of August? No, because then I would have no life any more.
“I will crack open a bottle of bubbly on 1 September if everyone has stayed on board.”
West Ham are crying out for a new number nine given their over-reliance on the injury-prone Michail Antonio.
The Hammers won’t just throw money at the problem, however, and already appear to have walked away from Adam Armstrong and Youssef En-Nesyri because of the prohibitive sums being demanded by Blackburn Rovers and Sevilla respectively.
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