That West Ham are interested in Keita Baldé isn’t anything new.
After all, there have already been plenty of stories relayed in the British media of the Hammers’ €27.5m + €5m in bonuses offer being ‘accepted’ by Lazio, yet there’s no guarantee the forward will sign.
After all, this is the same player who has already said no to Everton, and Il Messaggero on Wednesday make that very clear.
Over the past few months, the Senegalese forward has expressed a desire to remain in Italy, and when the likes of Juventus, Milan and Inter came knocking, that’s the move he was after.
The Serie A champions have since dropped out, as have Milan, meaning Inter are the only realistic option for Keita if he wants to get a better contract somewhere as well as staying in the same country.
That doesn’t mean West Ham aren’t going to try, with the Italian newspaper describing the offer made to the player as ‘pharaonic’, but Lazio, who are likely to get more money from Slaven Bilic’s side than Inter, are fearing another rejection from the 22-year-old.
Unfortunately for Lazio, if Keita does reject the Hammers, they’ll have to wait even longer to get the money they want, as Il Messaggero continue by explaining the only way Inter will make an offer is if they sell Ivan Perisic to Manchester United.
Considering the Red Devils seem reluctant to meet the asking price for the Croatia star, this could be a long summer for everyone involved.
Including West Ham.
