West Ham plot insane hijack of already-agreed move, with Italian giants under threat amid transfer ‘issues’
Lazar Samardzic celebrates scoring Udinese goal against Hellas Verona
West Ham United could incredibly scupper Inter’s transfer plans by landing central midfielder Lazar Samardzic first, according to reports.
West Ham have already sold one midfielder this summer, with club captain Declan Rice heading to London rivals Arsenal in a £105million deal. Rice is now Arsenal’s record signing and West Ham’s biggest ever sale.
Rice might not be the only midfielder to leave David Moyes’ side during the current transfer window, as Lucas Paqueta is being pursued by Manchester City.
TEAMtalk understands Paqueta is eager to leave West Ham. Although, he will only be allowed to do so if City bid £80m.
West Ham have already agreed a £30m deal with Southampton for James Ward-Prowse, who will help replace Rice. But if Paqueta departs as well, then the Irons may need another new midfielder to join. And this is where Samardzic comes in.
According to Italian source Corriere dello Sport (as cited by Sport Witness), West Ham have just joined Inter in the hunt for Samardzic, who currently represents Serie A outfit Udinese.
READ MORE: Man City twist West Ham arm with new Paqueta bid to include major sacrifice in part-exchange
West Ham are currently ‘in the background’ for the 21-year-old. However, that could soon change.
Inter have gotten very close to signing Samardzic recently. As per transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Inter agreed a €16m (£13.8m) deal with Udinese for Samardzic last week. And the player has even completed a medical ahead of joining the Nerazzurri.
West Ham use ‘issues’ to join Serie A chase
However, Romano states that there are now ‘issues’ putting the move in doubt. And Corriere dello Sport explain how the ‘scenario has changed’ as a result of Samardzic’s father trying to change the conditions of the deal. It appears he is unhappy with how much money agent Rafaela Pimenta will be taking home.
The Serbia international’s move to Inter is now at ‘risk’ and West Ham are resultantly preparing a swoop of their own for him.
Given the money they received for Rice, it would not be hard for West Ham to blow Inter out of the water with a much bigger proposal for Samardzic.
West Ham could soon announce another new arrival in addition to Ward-Prowse and Samardzic, too. They have reached a £30m agreement with Manchester United for Harry Maguire’s switch to the London Stadium. Although, the move is being held up by Man Utd due to one key reason.
