West Ham United have placed a formal bid for the signing of Sporting midfielder Matheus Nunes, according to reports from Portugal.
The front page story of newspaper Record says the Hammers are offering an initial amount of €30m plus €5m in variables. That, however, is still to match the price demanded by the Lions.
West Ham’s effort, therefore, was ‘in vain’.
It’s said Sporting are only negotiating the player for €50m, and already told the Premier League side that.
Record claims that the Hammers made the bid speaking directly to the Lions, unlike other clubs such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, who had been using agent Jorge Mendes as an intermediary.
It’s also pointed out that the option isn’t attractive for Nunes himself.
The player, who already turned down Wolves, would only like to leave for a European ‘shark’, who can offer him the chance of playing the Champions League.
Record even comes up with a solution for West Ham.
They say the Hammers would need to offer €40m plus €10m in bonuses, and also show the midfielder a ‘project’ that allows him to make ‘a discerning and indisputable’ step in his career.
Until that happens, Nunes is more likely to stay at Sporting and sign a new contract where he’ll double his wages.
