It seems that West Ham United have not given up on the chase for João Mario from Inter Milan yet, and are actually pretty close on getting the player.
In Italy the deal has widely been seen as dead, because the player doesn’t want it, but in Portugal things are different.
As reported by Portuguese newspaper O Jogo today, the clubs have resumed talks this weekend and hope to close a deal during the week.
The outlet claims West Ham and Inter Milan already have an agreement for his loan, where the English side would pay €1.5m to have the player until the end of the season, plus a buying option of €22.5m in the summer… €24m in total.
João Mario has ‘asked for time’ to think about the move, something that should take a few days before the final decision.
What is making things difficult for West Ham would be the approaches that the player has been getting from the likes of Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. But none of these clubs have made a bid so far, which still makes the Hammers the closest club to win the race.
O Jogo says that West Ham defender José Fonte is one of the people who are playing a big part in the negotiations. As he plays with João Mario for Portugal, he’s working on convincing the midfielder that a move to London is the best thing he can do right now.
