West Ham failed to sign William Carvalho after a long-running summer saga.
West Ham United’s William Carvalho saga is showing no signs of coming to an end.
The Hammers were locked in a relentless transfer battle with Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon in the summer with plenty of shots fired from both sides. By the end of the summer transfer window, Sporting accused West Ham of failing to make an offer, per Sky Sports – while the Premier League club were left frustrated by Sporting raising their asking price on a number of occasions.
And according to The Sun, West Ham are not ready to accept defeat just yet. It is understood that David Moyes wanted to sign powerful midfielder Carvalho after he was appointed by Manchester United in 2013 – and is keen on making him his first signing at the London Stadium too.
Though it will come as no surprise to learn that Sporting aren’t prepared to make this easy for West Ham. According to Record, Carvalho is close to signing a new contract with the Lisbon giants with the offer of a huge pay rise on the table.
And the report adds that the Euro 2016 champion’s release clause will rise from £40 million to around £53 million – which means West Ham would have to more than double the club record fee they paid Stoke City for Marko Arnautovic in the summer.
Rather than ensuring he commits his future to the Estadio Jose Alvalade, the likelihood is that Sporting are trying to encourage Carvalho to sign a new contract in order to sell him for an even bigger fee – perhaps after the World Cup, should he impress for Portugal.
By then, West Ham’s hopes may have faded completely.
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