OPINION
West Ham loaned midfielder Edimilson Fernandes to Fiorentina in the summer and he has flourished in Italy this season.
The Hammers included a £7million option in the loan agreement for the Serie A club in order for the 22-year-old midfielder to secure a permanent move if he impressed.
While at the time it looked like the London club had pulled off a decent deal by having Fiorentina agree in principle to pay that seven-figure amount; his market value is no doubt much higher.
Fernandes has impressed in his 27 outings for Fiorentina, scoring two and assisting two, and looks to be a player finally fulfilling his potential.
The 22-year-old showed glimpses of his talent at the Hammers but injury always denied him being a regular member of the first-team.
Yet with him now seemingly getting an injury-free season under his belt and him still only being 22-years-old then not only is he worth more than £7million, he no doubt could also do a job for Manuel Pellegrini if he returned to the London Stadium.
The midfielder, who has eight caps for Switzerland, is a slick passer of the ball and is comfortable playing as a holding midfielder.
Given that aside from Declan Rice, Pellegrini doesn’t have many midfield enforcers to choose from, as while Mark Noble can play that role he doesn’t excel in it, so there’s space for Fernandes in his squad.
Despite this the Hammers are intent on making the frustrating blunder of selling Fernandes for £7million as according to Claret & Hugh the club are hoping the midfielder has done enough to seal his exit.
While the club did give Fiorentina an option to buy Fernandes, meaning his future is out of their hands, it’s one thing to see them sign the player permanently and actively a whole another thing to hope it happens.