West Ham have turned down an £8.9million bid for Pedro Obiang from Italian side Fiorentina, according to Sky Sports News.
The broadcaster claim on their live ticker tape (15:01, 15:56) that the 26-year-old was the subject of the seven figure bid from the Serie A outfit but that the Hammers have rejected their approach for his capture.
Obiang, who has one cap for Equatorial Guinea, has made 18 appearances for the Irons this season, 14 of those coming in the Premier League, and has 105 total outings during his time in east London, having arrived from Italian side Sampdoria.
Opinion
Considering that the Equatorial Guinea midfielder is not a mainstay at the London Stadium, the Hammers have been bold to turn down a near £10million offer for his services. He is obviously not going to be Manuel Pellegrini’s first choice and will find starting places in the first team more and more difficult to come by. The only reasons that might have saved Obiang from the exit are the fee offered, with the Irons likely going to hold out for something with eight figures rather than seven, and the lack of other midfield options in east London right now, Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere sidelined by injury. If Pellegrini could find a replacement and get a more acceptable fee from Fiorentina then maybe he would be willing to green light this move. For now though, it seems as though they are playing hardball, and rightly so. Obiang is a solid performer and it should take more than £8.9million to prise him away.