One of the most active Premier League clubs on the transfer market, West Ham bolstered their defence with no fewer than three players (two centre-backs and Ryan Fredericks).
However, that wasn’t enough for Manuel Pellegrini, who was after yet another central defender, targeting Lyon’s Marcelo to add some experience to his backline.
The story dragged on and on in France, with the Brazilian seemingly unwilling to comment on the issue, until now.
Speaking to L’Equipe on Friday, the 31-year-old finally opened up about his tumultuous summer, happy to do so now the Premier League transfer window has shut.
He said: “I can assure you, the questions don’t bother me. What happened is very simple: they made an offer for me, the club said no, and that’s it. I don’t have to lie about it, and now I’m in talks with Lyon to extend my contract, probably until 2021.“That should be sorted in the next few days. I’m a professional, that’s how things work. I’ve never had issues with my clubs, I’m not going to start now. Lyon behaved properly with me, and there’s no problem”.
The last proper report on the matter, that we could find, at least, dates back to the end of July, when West Ham were allegedly €5m off the Ligue 1 side’s asking price for the centre-back, as Jean-Michel Aulas wanted €20m.
The veteran defender only arrived in France last year from Besiktas, but swiftly became an integral part to Bruno Génésio’s side, playing in 35 of a possible 38 league games, scoring three goals along the way.
