West Ham have had a £7million bid for KAS Eupen forward Henry Onyekuru turned down, according to a reliable journalist.
The Hammers have been linked with a move for the winger, with the Daily Mail reporting on Sunday that a £7million deal was close and a medical had been arranged for Tuesday, with the 20-year-old set to be offered £35,000-a-week.
However, it appears that the East London side have failed in their latest bid after Pieter-Jan Calcoen, a journalist for Belgian publication Het Laatste Nieuws, reported on his personal Twitter account on Monday that the proposed £7million (€8million) bid had been rejected.
Nieuws: Eupen heeft een bod van 8 miljoen euro van #WHUFC op Onyekuru afgewezen. #RSCA blijft in de race. @HLNinEngeland @NielsVleminckx
— Pieter-Jan Calcoen (@PJCalcoen) June 12, 2017
His tweet translates to: “News: Eupen has a bid of 8 million euro of #WHUFC (West Ham) on Onyekuru rejected. #RSCA (Anderlecht) remains in the race.”
His tweet is backed up by his colleague at HLN Kristof Terreur, who claims on his personal Twitter account that the Belgian side are looking to sell Onyekuru to a “more prestigious club”.
Eupen have turned down a £7m bid from West Ham for Henry Onyekuru. Club like to sell him to a "more prestigious club", writes @PJCalcoen. pic.twitter.com/pNaK5XqOWQ
— Kristof Terreur (@kristofterreur) June 12, 2017
The news will come as a blow to Slaven Bilic’s side, who had hoped to secure the youngster ahead of a host of top flight clubs from across Europe.
The 20-year-old left sided winger was in imperious form for Eupen last season, scoring 25 goals and contributing 14 assists to draw the attention of the likes of Premier League rivals Arsenal, German giants Borussia Dortmund and Champions League semi-finalists Monaco.
His efforts also earned him a first international call-up for Nigeria, making his debut in a 3-0 friendly victory over Togo at the start of June.