West Ham have launched a swoop to sign Villarreal attacker Pablo Fornals this summer, according to Diario AS.
The Spanish news outlet claims that the Hammers’ talks to sign the 23-year-old have intensified after Manuel Pellegrini originally eyed up signing the Spain international in the January transfer window.
It is understood that West Ham have now reignited their interest in Fornals and would have to trigger his £29.4million release clause in order to strike a deal with Villarreal before the start of next season.
Good move for West Ham?
Fornals is a very good player and is definitely what fans would hope Pellegrini to be looking at signing this summer.
He scored five goals and supplied six assists in 50 appearances across all competitions for Villarreal last season.
The former Malaga player is an attacking midfielder who can also play on either wing or in a more central role, so he could definitely add some versatility to Pellegrini’s squad.
One issue is how much West Ham would have to spend in order to sign Fornals.
Although AS reports that the £29.4million fee is not that much for Premier League sides, it might be too much for the Irons, who seem as though they might curb their spending habits this year after splashing the cash last summer.
This is Futbol rating 7/10
Likely to happen?
AS reports that Fornals is keen on a switch to the Premier League and West Ham do seem to be very interested in signing the two-times Spain international.
Not much has happened in the transfer window at the moment so nothing is looking too likely to go through yet, but this is one that fans should keep an eye on over the coming weeks.
This is Futbol rating 3/10