On Wednesday, Sky Sports reported that West Ham have made a £20m bid for the former Sporting midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Even though the player is a free agent, the fee would be going to his former club, who he rescinded the contract with due to the attacks at Alcochete back in May.
But why are the Hammers paying a fee for a player who’s free? There could be two options: first, to avoid a future legal battle. Second, because the player is asking them to.
And it seems that the latter is what’s happening, at least according to a report from newspaper Correio da Manhã today.
As they cover Sky Sports’ report, the newspaper also claims that Bruno Fernandes is currently in talks with Sporting about a return to the club.
It’s said that Fernandes is ‘grateful’ to the Lions, and even in case he leaves, he would want to reach a deal with new president Sousa Cintra so the Lisbon side would get a fee.
Fernandes used to have a €100m release clause at Sporting, and was considered to be one of the players to be kept for next season.
But in Sporting’s current situation, it’s take it or leave it. So if West Ham really get to an agreement with the player, all the Hammers have to do is wait for Fernandes and the Lisbon club to settle for an agreement between them. The Lions know they can’t push too hard, as the player is already being cooperative.
