West Ham made a bid of £10m, plus Sam Byram and Jordan Hugill, for West Brom striker Salomon Rondon, according to reports in England.
The 29-year-old has a release clause of £16.5m and the Baggies are said to have rejected the offer.
Supporters on Twitter are not sure why the Hammers would be interested in Rondon:
Good. Don’t want him. Not next level.
— West Ham United Transfer Kitty (@WHTransferKitty) 25 June 2019
Please tell me that’s a joke ??
— Ben Skingsley 父 (@BenSkingsley) 25 June 2019
So ten million and twenty quid all in all
— Andy MacFarlane (@andy_macca89) 25 June 2019
I like Rondon, but that’s a lot for a 29 year old!
I’d rather we go for a quicker, younger striker like Che Adams, who’d also be on lower wages.
If we had Gomez, Arnie & Rondon it wouldn’t be that pact of a 3.— Steven McCarthy ? (@StevenMcCarthy9) 25 June 2019
Thank god for that.
— An Idiot Up North ⚒ (@MattyH14) 25 June 2019
why not offer diangana on loan plus ether byram or oxford as part of deal
— barrie senior (@barritelli) 25 June 2019
Some believe fans should trust Pellegrini’s judgement:
If pellegrini wants rondon and gomez then trust in pellegrini. I saw that if we get gomez he’s likely to partner arnie. Therfore we would need one in the bench
— George Karby (@george_karby) 25 June 2019
We need whoever Pellegrini says we need. He knows best.
— John (@UKBones) 25 June 2019
Can neve have enough strikers#
— Barry Malindine (@MalindineBarry) 26 June 2019
It’s surprising that the Irons didn’t just match Rondon’s buyout fee, but it’s likely that the club are keen to offload a number of fringe players before making more expensive purchases.
Newcastle were favourites for the Venezuelan international but Rafa Benitez’s departure from St James’ Park has likely led to West Ham testing the waters.
Whether Manuel Pellegrini’s side will return with another bid for Rondon, it remains to be seen. Negotiations for another forward, Maxi Gomez, are also ongoing, but talks remain deadlocked on that front as well.