West Ham could keep hold of Austrian international Marko Arnautovic because of his age, according to respected journalist Lars Sivertsen.
The talismanic forward has been an integral figure for the Hammers this season, and has been linked with a move to a bigger club in the future.
Sivertsen believes that the 29-year-old’s age could be a stumbling block in any potential move, however.
Speaking on the Guardian’s Football Weekly Extra podcast, when asked whether Arnautovic could move to a top six side, he said: “I think that’s possible, the only thing you would say is that age is not quite on his side.
“West Ham would want a massive fee for him and rightly so, and he’s 29. So not many clubs might want to pay that.”
OPINION
Arnautovic has become an immensely important player to this West Ham side. For many years he was written of as maverick – a mercurial player who had the ability but lacked the attitude needed to be an elite level footballer. In recent times he has gone a long way to rubbishing that reputation, and his outlook and commitment have never been in doubt at the London Stadium. A move to a so-called big club would be well-deserved, but in the current transfer climate it would be more than justified for the Hammers to demand a ransom, and as Sivertsen says, few clubs would be willing to fork out a fortune on a player so close to 30. If this upturn in the perception of him had happened two or three years ago, one of those teams might have had a real bargain on their hands, but as it happens, it looks as if they may have missed the boat on a top talent.