Following reports from England on Sunday saying West Ham United were close to an agreement with Benfica for the transfer of Darwin Nunez, we today saw the Portuguese media being a little calmer about it.
Even though reports from Lisbon believed that the Hammers are in for the striker, it was said a €45m bid was turned down by the Eagles, who don’t really want to negotiate the striker’s exit at this point of the transfer window and would push for more money.
Now as the Italian media joins the party as well, it’s claimed that West Ham are actually offering a little more for the Benfica star.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Hammers are putting €50m forward for the signing.
The well-known journalist points out that the Eagles’ demands are still ‘higher’ than those numbers, and there’s also the fact that he’s currently in Uruguay with the national team, so the attempt is considered to be ‘very difficult’.
However, it’s still not clear what the response to the bid will be, as West Ham continue to try for ‘an important blow’ in their hunt for a Champions League spot.
Darwin Nunez has been one of the big stars in Portugal this season, as he already has 20 goals and two assists in 25 matches for Benfica.
The problem for West Ham is that he’s well protected by the Eagles with a release clause worth €150m, so the Lisbon side can easily turn down those offers and wait for a summer negotiation if they want to.
