Guardian journalist Jason Steinberg has said that a West Ham deal for Maxi Gomez is in the balance.
He said that while West Ham are willing to pay the release clause for the Celta Vigo striker, nothing has been agreed.
The sticking point is still Gomez’s desire for Champions League football, which he can get at Valencia.
Steinberg said the deal was “finely balanced” in a tweet on Monday morning.
Reports that Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez has agreed to join West Ham are premature. West Ham ready to pay Gomez’s €50m release clause but still have to convince striker to turn down Champions League football at Valencia. Nothing agreed yet on either side. Finely balanced #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) July 8, 2019
That comes after an earlier tweet from Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol that claimed West Ham were set to break their club record with a £45million deal for Gomez.
Solhekol stated that Valencia had “dropped out” and that Gomez had turned down Champions League football to join the Hammers.
Big statement of intent by West Ham. Set to break club record by signing Maxi Gomez from Celta Vigo for £45m. Valencia have dropped out. Gomez turning down Champions League football at Valencia to join West Ham
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) July 7, 2019
VERDICT
With Marko Arnautovic completing a move to China and Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez gone, West Ham will be desperate to get a new striker in as soon as possible. West Ham fans would have been delighted with Solhekol’s tweet but it seems that it’s far from done yet. Two things favour the Valencia move – Champions League football and reports that claim Gomez wants to stay in Spain. Ultimately, it could all come down to what the player wants. Can Manuel Pellegrini convince the striker that West Ham are pushing to be a force in the Premier League and that he will have the possibility of playing in Europe with the Hammers? It would be a tough job to convince him that West Ham will get in the Champions League in the near future. Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham and Chelsea, with Arsenal and Man United in behind, have got a lock on those top-four spots and it would take a huge upset for the Hammers to force themselves into the equation.