It is probably no exaggeration to say that this year half the Premier League have been linked with moves for Moussa Marega.
In April, May and June it was relentless from the Portuguese media, every week brought a new interested club and there were daily claims about the player’s future and how much he’d cost those said to be interested.
West Ham were probably the English club linked most with the Porto striker and when in June he was asked about interest, Marega said: “For me, I think it’s the best time to try my luck elsewhere, to try something new, get to know a new league. The Premier League for example. It pains me to say this, because I’m very attached to this club, to its fans who give me a lot.
“I’ve liked [the Premier League] for a long time. Then again, who doesn’t? It’s a great league, with great players. It’s flattering when clubs are interested in you, but I’ve always dreamed of playing there. I want to be happy, with my family, in a league I love.”
Then things went quiet for a while, but this week the English media have dragged the rumour back out again so it’s inevitably a big deal in Portugal today.
All the sport newspaper are covering West Ham’s supposed new interest and the possibility of Cheikhou Kouyaté being included in a deal.
In response to those claims, Portuguese newspaper Record state that even if Kouyaté is included, Marega will still cost the Hammers ‘several tens of millions of Euros’.
