West Ham have rejected an offer of £8.9m for defensive midfielder Pedro Obiang from Italian club Fiorentina.
The 26-year-old has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium after slipping down the Hammers midfield pecking order, primarily because of the emergence of Declan Rice in the holding midfield role.
Rice, alongside captain Mark Noble, have been manager Manuel Pellegrini's first-choice options in midfield, leading to speculation that Obiang may look to leave the club in order to pursue more regular first-team action.
News of a bid from Serie A side Fiorentina emerged a few days ago, but Sky Sports now report that the bid has been rejected by the Irons. It's thought the Hammers will only be willing to negotiate a deal for Obiang if they are able to source an adequate replacement - a stance enhanced by the current long term injuries to other central midfield options Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere.
Obiang joined West Ham in 2015 from Sampdoria for £4.3m, and has made 105 appearances for the club since his arrival - including 18 during the current campaign.
The midfielder spent five years with Samp after joining in 2010, though it remains unclear at this stage whether or not he favours a move back to Serie A with Fiorentina - despite recent reports suggesting that the player would prefer to stay in the Premier League rather than move back to Italy.
Obiang was restricted to a cameo appearance from the bench during West Ham's 1-0 victory against Arsenal at the London Stadium. The win - which came courtesy of Rice's first ever West Ham goal - pushed the club up into ninth in the Premier League ahead of their trip to face Bournemouth on Saturday.
Source : 90min