West Ham may be tempted to sell Marko Arnautovic for £30million despite the club turning down bids in excess of £40million in January, according to The Sun.
The national newspaper claim that the Hammers could be tempted to cash in on the 30-year-old forward after being linked to other forwards and that Inter Milan are ready to test the club’s resolve as a result.
The Sun report that the Italian club’s new manager, Antonio Conte, sees Arnautovic as being the perfect foil for his other transfer targets; Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku and AS Roma’s Edin Dzeko.
It is believed that the Hammers attacker would relish a return to his former club, Inter Milan, but that AS Roma could also attempt to pursue his services.
Good move for West Ham?
No, for the most part.
Arnautovic may have lost form in January when linked with a move away from the London Stadium, but it’s clear to see he still is a useful player.
The Austrian attacker has scored 22 goals in 65 outings for the Hammers since joining from Stoke City in 2017, and a top-quality replacement would be needed if he left.
However given that Arnautovic is 30-years-old and did show signs of being unsettled in his 2018/19 season, cashing-in on him isn’t a horrible idea.
Although selling him for £30million seems a little silly, especially given there were thought to be offers of £40million in January.
This Is Futbol rating: 5/10
Likely to happen?
Inter Milan are likely to be in the market for new players after appointing a new manager, but that doesn’t mean they’ll about to try their luck with Arnautovic.
The Serie A club haven’t submitted a bid and are just ready to try to test their luck, so until they make their interest concrete it’s hard to believe their interest is legit as they’ve been linked to several players.
Also the Daily Mail previously reported that the Hammers were confident on keeping Arnautovic despite looking to sign Venezuelan forward Salomon Rondon, so just because new attackers are arriving, it doesn’t mean he is going.
This Is Futbol rating: 3/10