Viking FK’s Edvin Austbø confirms he’s travelling to complete a move to West Ham United in the next few hours.
The winger spoke to TV2 in Norway before heading to London to carry out medical tests and other formalities to join West Ham.
West Ham attempts pay off
On August 14th, Viking FK sporting director Erik Nevland confirmed rejecting the English club’s NKK 100m [€9.1m] bid for Edvin Austbø.
Four days ago, the Norwegian club overcame Dinamo Zagreb to qualify for the Champions League group stage.
Stavanger Aftenblad first reported of West Ham United returning with an improved offer of NKK 140m [€12.9m] in fixed fee. TV2 backs it up and adds the parties have all come to an agreement.
There’s confidence the 21-year-old will complete his move to the Championship side in less than 72 hours.
Green light for West Ham medical
Edvin Austbø has already made a trip to London to join Nuno Espírito Santo’s side. Prior to travelling, TV2 caught up with him outside Stavanger Airport.
The Norway U21 international has confirmed this trip is to undergo medical tests with the Hammers.
“I’m leaving now, so we’ll see tomorrow. Of course, it’s medical exam. So, let’s hope it goes well,” he said.
The player has been keen on leaving the Norwegian club and TV2 asks why he has now agreed to join West Ham United.
Responding to that, Austbø explained: “It felt right. And that’s what I wanted. So as soon as they came into the picture, there was no doubt on my part.”
The move to England means the player can’t represent his boyhood club in the Champions League this season. However, he couldn’t turn down the English club.
“Of course it hurts. It’s going to hurt to watch those games and not be able to play in them. But I have a lot of love for Viking, and now it felt right to move on. So, when the opportunity came, I knew it was the right thing to do,” he added.
The rapid developments mean the attacker didn’t have an opportunity to say goodbye to his teammates.
“I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye since we didn’t have practice today, so that was a bummer, but they’ll get a nice message soon. Then I’ll come visit them before too long,” the Norwegian said.
“Good luck with the rest of the season. Keep supporting the team, enjoy the Champions League, and fight for the title!”
