West Ham are ramping up their interest in another swoop for Joao Mario this summer after being handed a bombshell in the shape of a serious injury to Manuel Lanzini, according to Claret and Hugh.
The Hammers news outlet, who have established themselves as a reputable source of information, report that after the Argentine winger was confirmed to have picked up a cruciate ligament blow while on international duty, Manuel Pellegrini is now looking for a replacement.
It is stated that Portuguese international Mario, who spent the latter half of last season on loan with the Irons from Inter Milan, is now much more of a firm target and that the club are ramping up the hunt for the 5’8″ (source: Transfermarkt) attacking midfielder’s capture, with a £75million transfer kitty this summer.
However, a move is said to be costly to the east London side, with a mega-money fee three times that which they paid for Lanzini, which was confirmed by David Sullivan to be around £9.4million, and wage demands double what the Argentine is on.
Good move for West Ham?
At that sort of price it is difficult to tell, for there is every chance the 25-year-old will fail to live up to expectation.
He might have already have half a season of Premier League action under his belt but there was little pressure on his shoulders with his time spent at the London Stadium only a loan, and making the permanent switch could change things up.
Still, Lanzini’s absence is a massive blow and Pellegrini is right to be looking for a game changing star who can take his place while he sits on the sidelines.
Summer is long and there will be many names out there, so rushing to Mario is not necessarily the best way forward.
This is Futbol rating: 6.5/10
Likely to happen?
The thing with the Inter Milan man is that he is known not only to the fans but to the rest of the squad, and that could swing things in his favour.
He will take no time settling in and will be ready for action from the first day.
He might be expensive, but West Ham do not seem likely to take a risk, and therefore a move seems on the card.
This is Futbol rating: 7.5/10