West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang is plotting a potential return to Italy this summer as the club eye yet more transfer business before the window slams shut, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim on their website that talks over the 26-year-old’s departure from the London Stadium are advanced, with Serie A outfit Sampdoria said to be keen on taking him back after selling him to the Hammers back in 2015.
The first team star, who made 27 appearances last season, is reported to have dropped down the pecking order in east London thanks to the arrivals of Jack Wilshere and Felipe Anderson, and that there is more transfer business, both coming in and going out of the club, expected over the coming weeks.
Good move for West Ham?
Obiang has been a regular in the Irons’ line up and it is a real surprise to hear that he could well be on his way back to Sampdoria over the coming weeks.
Still, new boss Manuel Pellegrini has conducted something of a mass overhaul at the club and the new signings are exciting enough to ease whatever discontent there might be about letting the Spaniard leave.
The main concern will be whether the arrivals can hit the ground running in the Premier League, with a couple unproven in England’s top flight, and if not, then Obiang’s imminent exit does not seem like a wise idea.
On the other hand, if they all take like a fish to water, then the 26-year-old’s exit will be forgotten quickly.
This is Futbol rating: 6.5/10
Likely to happen?
With so many signings, someone has to be in the firing line, and it appears that man is Obiang.
He will not be the only one to leave, and with first team football no longer a guarantee, he will likely be happy to seal a deal over his exit.
A move which suits all parties – although whether Sampdoria can meet West Ham’s asking price is another matter entirely.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10