West Ham have 'already informed' Athletic Club that they are willing to pay defender Unai Nunez's €30m release clause in January, but the east London side still need to convince the player to join.
Nunez shone for Spain in their victorious Under-21 European Championship campaign last summer. However, he has struggled for minutes at club level, starting just five of Athletic's 18 La Liga games so far in 2019/20.
AS are reporting that West Ham are keen on bringing the 22-year-old in during the upcoming winter window, and have already informed his club that they are ready to trigger his €30m release clause.
The report notes that the player has recognised that at his current age, he does not want to spend his time on the sidelines, behind first-choice pairing Íñigo Martínez and Yeray Alvarez.
While the Hammers are prepared to activate his release clause, they still need to convince the player. However, AS claim that Pablo Fornals has been in regular contact with Nunez in recent weeks.
Following their exploits at the European Under-21 Championships together, they have maintained a good friendship and Fornals has helped answer questions regarding the club, the city and the league.
The 23-year-old joined West Ham in the summer for around £24m and following a slow start to life in the Premier League, he has become an increasingly important member of the team.
The Hammers are certainly keen on bringing Nunez to the club, but they will also face competition from German giants Bayern Munich. Die Roten are willing to offer Javi Martinez as part of a deal for Nunez.
In their opening 17 games, Manuel Pellegrini's men have conceded 28 goals and, as a result, they are on the lookout for defensive reinforcements in the upcoming winter window. The club are reportedly keen to replace right-back Pablo Zabaleta, while they are now also looking to secure the services of Athletic's Nunez.
Source :
90min
