West Ham are set to continue their pursuit of Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez, despite Marko Arnautovic recently signing a contract extension at the London Stadium.
Gomez was previously touted as a potential Arnautovic replacement, who looked destined to leave the club this month, but it is now thought that despite the Austrian signing a new contract, Gomez could still move to the London Stadium.
According to Sky Sports, Gomez could yet make the move to West Ham this month, but any deal could see the striker return to Celta on loan for the rest of the season as the Spanish club seek survival in Spain's top flight.
The 22-year-old has netted nine times in 19 La Liga outings this term, assisting a further five. The Uruguayan poacher has a £43.2m release clause in his current Celta contract, but West Ham are reportedly undeterred by this hefty asking price and are prepared to meet it to secure the 22-year-old's signature.
Though West Ham fans will be buoyed by the recent Arnautovic announcement, they will be perturbed by recent results, having lost to Bournemouth and Wimbledon in their last two outings. However, Pellegrini's men remain in a strong position in the Premier League, sitting 10th and 12 points clear of the drop-zone.
With their top flight status all but secured for another year, the West Ham faithful can start to set their sights a little higher, and should the board sanction the £43.2m signing of Gomez, it will be huge statement by the club.
A win over Wolves on Tuesday night will see the Hammers rise to eighth place, at least for the night, as they chase down the European spots.
Source :
90min