Lazio president Claudio Lotito has confirmed that West Ham tabled a massive bid for attacker Keita Balde earlier this summer.
Lotito, 60, announced that the Irons, who have already broken their transfer record once this summer, made an offer worth a stunning £26.4million for the Senegal international.
West Ham have already smashed their transfer record once this summer, but could have done it again if they managed to complete a swoop for the European giants’ attacker.
However it has emerged that Balde, 22, declined the chance to move to the London Stadium as he has his heart set on a switch to Juventus.
“There were three formal offers, all of them I can prove with documentation. Milan would have given us €35m, West Ham €32m and Napoli €30m,” said Lotito, as quoted by Gazzetto Dello Sport and translated by the Mirror in their live transfer blog on Saturday [02:17pm].
“Keita and his agent replied that they were not interested in any of the three, that the destination they wanted was Juventus. The player confirmed it to me in the pre-season training camp.”
Good move for West Ham?
It definitely would have been. Balde was in top form for Lazio last season and could have been a better signing than Marko Arnautovic if they tried to sign the Senegalese man before the ex-Stoke forward. Arnatovic’s bad-boy attitude will cause the Hammers problems this season, something which he proved on Saturday when he got sent off at Southampton. West Ham wouldn’t have got that if they completed a move for Keita, who has the potential to become one of Europe’s most exciting wingers in the future.
This Is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
Not now. Balde seems to have his heart set on a move to Juventus, and who can really blame him? He’s guaranteed Champions League football and league titles with a move to the Old Lady, and essentially that is what football is all about. He could easily get into the starting line up at Juve with Chelsea flop Juan Cuadrado in the team. A move to West Ham would have perhaps just been a stepping stone, but why do that when he can go straight to the top.
This is Futbol raiting: 1/10