West Ham are unlikely to sign Carlos Soler on a permanent basis from Paris Saint-Germain, a source has told Hammers.News.
It was originally reported that the Irons would have the option to sign the Spanish international for €20m (£17m) at the end of the season but it was turned into a straightforward loan. It has been confirmed that the reason for that decision was Soler’s massive salary:
“Soler is on £240k a week at PSG, So it’s going to be hard to do a permanent deal.”
Unless the 27-year-old is willing to take a pay cut, it seems that he won’t be plying his trade at the London Stadium beyond this campaign.
West Ham’s current highest earner is Lucas Paqueta. The Brazilian playmaker takes home £150,000 a week, which is £90,000 below what Soler is on at PSG.
Lopetegui is a big fan of the midfielder
Speaking after Soler joined the club last week, head coach Julen Lopetegui lavished praise on the Spaniard:
“I think that Carlos Soler is a good player and he is going to help us, for sure. He is maybe at his best age, as he’s 27, he has international experience and is a very good player. He has a good profile for us as he can play in different positions and I think he is going to help us to be better.”
West Ham now have 10 players earning £90k a week or more
Despite offloading several high earners, such as Kurt Zouma, the club have added to their wage bill over the summer. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Niklas Fullkrug are both earning sizeable salaries after their arrivals.
The duo join Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Danny Ings, Alphonse Areola, Edson Alvarez, Emerson Palmieri, Tomas Soucek and Mohammed Kudus in taking home a wage of £90,000 a week or higher.
The likes of James Ward-Prowse and Maxwel Cornet will also increase the wage expenditure following their return from loan spells next year.
