West Ham have received a loan-to-buy offer from Serie A side Atalanta for the capture of midfielder Pedro Obiang this summer, according to Corriere della Sera.
The Italian publication claim on their website that the Hammers have been offered an £888k (€1million) loan fee from the side who play in Italy’s top flight, with an optional £8million (€9million) price to turn his temporary stay into a permanent move, making it a deal worth up to £8.8million.
A move to Atalanta would see Obiang, who stands at 6’1″ (source: Transfermarkt) return to Serie A, a division in which he has 99 games of experience in thanks to his time at Sampdoria, while he has made 67 appearances in the Premier League.
Good move for West Ham?
In all honesty, not really.
The Hammers might have brought in a number of new recruits which leaves Obiang’s place under serious threat but he is still a very useful player, and the only way Manuel Pellegrini should be accepting his exit is with a fee which makes it worthwhile.
A price tag of just £8.8m simply is not enough for someone of his talent and experience, and at 26-years-old, he still has plenty of years of game time under his belt.
If this is going to be a good move for the Irons, they had either get a better loan fee from Atalanta, or ensure that the eventual transfer price is in excess of what is currently on the table.
This is Futbol rating: 4/10
Likely to happen?
Obiang’s move? Yes. This particularly deal? Not so much.
The Hammers would rather see Obiang head out the door permanently, rather than waiting on Atalanta to decide whether to make it official.
Maybe a minimum match clause, where if he plays a certain number of games the move is triggered, would work in both sides’ favour, but right now, this is looking a difficult deal to agree on.
This is Futbol rating: 3/10