West Ham’s pursuit of Ivory Coast international Jean Michael Seri could have taken a huge hit, as Manchester City have joined the race to sign him, reports the Mirror.
The report states that Pep Guardiola regards the Ivorian as a cheaper alternative to Napoli’s Jorginho, who would cost City in excess of £60million.
West Ham had been linked with a move for the Nice midfielder Seri, currently valued at around £36million, but their chances of landing the 26-year-old are drastically lowered should the Premier League champions place a bid.
Manuel Pellegrini is looking to make that marquee signing to boost the Hammer’s chances in the Premier League, but he will face an uphill battle to land Seri.
Good move for West Ham?
Absolutely.
Apart from Manuel Lanzini, who recently suffered a horrific ACL tear, West Ham are pretty lacking in creative presence at the centre of the park.
Jean Michael Seri fits that bill, and is much more likely to receive regular football at the London Stadium as opposed to the Etihad.
The transfer sum is pretty hefty, so that could become a sticking point for West Ham should they find themselves in a position to land the midfielder, but that shouldn’t put them off.
This Is Futbol rating – 9/10.
Likely to happen?
Probably not.
If Manchester City’s interest in the Ivorian is genuine, that in turn places them in pole position to land the midfielder, as the attraction to play under pep is tempting.
City have much more funding available to them, and are the current Premier League champions, and with no disrespect to West Ham, players could prefer to play at City in this market.
Pellegrini has other positions to address before he can sanction big spending on a player such as Seri.
This Is Futbol rating – 1/10.