West Ham’s bid to sign Andre Gomes has been rejected by Barcelona, according to Sky Sports.
The broadcaster claimed via their live transfer blog on Monday [01:19pm] that the Hammers’ opening offer worth £18million is not good enough for Barca, who want somewhere between £25million and £35million for the Portugal international.
It is understood that the Spanish giants are keen to offload Gomes, 25, this summer and West Ham “will do their utmost” in trying to lure the playmaker to the London Stadium.
OPINION
West Ham’s opening bid for Gomes was seemingly just one to test the water and with the Irons in hot pursuit of the Portuguese midfielder, fans can expect another offer to go in for him very soon. Gomes played very well while on loan at Everton this season as he appeared in 29 appearances across all competitions. West Ham could do with adding some strength in depth to his position and if they can get a deal done for around £25million then it would definitely be a top piece of business by Manuel Pellegrini. Just because Barcelona want to get rid of Gomes does not make him a bad player. They seem to be keen to get the £80,000-a-week [Express] midfielder off their books just to reduce their wagebill, which is what all the big clubs in Europe seem to be focusing on lately. If he does end up in claret and blue next season, West Ham might bag themselves one of the signings of the summer.