West Ham United are said to be closing in on signing Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen.
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Hernandez, 29, is said to have a $17 million release clause in his current contract and Mexico’s all-time leading goalscorer has been linked with a multitude of clubs across Europe.
The Hammers seem to be the most serious suitors and the Daily Mirror claims that more talks with Chicharito’s agent are planned and they plan to make him their highest-paid player, but no deal is imminent
Hernandez will still be on his break from action at the 2017 Confederations Cup where Mexico finish fourth, but when he returns to preseason he has a big decision to make. Following his five-year spell at Manchester United, where he became a fans favorite and his clinical finishing led Jose Mourinho to question why he was ever sold, does Chicharito have unfinished business in the Premier League?
If so, it perhaps would be better to go to a team like West Ham where he will play week in, week out and potential feed off of Andy Carroll and have the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Michael Antonio creating chances for him. If he was to go to a top six contender (Chelsea is rumored to be interested, as should every PL club with a release fee of $17 million) then the same issue which dogged him at United could crop up again: being dubbed a super sub.
In a World Cup year and with El Tri all but confirmed to be in Russia next summer, Hernandez will want to play regularly. With Leverkusen bringing in a new coach after a disappointing finish in the Bundesliga last season following their UEFA Champions League exploits, now may be the best time for Hernandez to move back to the PL. He has scored 38 goals in 54 Bundesliga games over the past two seasons and he continues to be a streaky predator in the box.
Playing in front of close to 60,000 every other week in the London Stadium and living in England’s capital isn’t too bad of a deal for Chicharito if he was to return to England.
UPDATE: Pro Soccer Talk understands that the Hammers have agreed a fee for Stoke City and Austria striker Marko Arnautovic. It is said to be a “done deal” for the 28-year-old who only signed a new lucrative long-term deal with the Potters last summer.
Jose Mourinho gave a simple answer when asked about Manchester United’s potential signing of Ivan Perisic: “no idea, no idea, my friend.”
However Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy claim that United could offer Anthony Martial in exchange for Perisic with the French international hardly in sparkling form since Mourinho arrived last summer.
Openly criticized by United’s manager, the Frenchman found it tough to become a regular in his plans (he scored just eight goals in 42 appearances in all competitions) and with Romelu Lukaku arriving this summer, plus Perisic’s potential arrival, Martial could fall further down the pecking order.
Would this be a good deal for everyone? Perhaps.
The huge sum United pay AS Monaco for Martial always seemed over the top and with the extra add-ons (one of which was triggered at the end of last season) Martial could prove to be even more expensive for the Red Devils with a deal rising to over $75 million.
Inter are looking to spend big under new manager Luciano Spalletti and their Chinese investors who have now taken over. Offloading Perisic to United and getting in a striker of Martial’s caliber seems like a good deal for everyone. Martial, 21, won’t play often at United for the foreseeable future and his direct running and ability to play out wide or central could suit Inter’s plans.
As for Perisic, he has been named in Inter’s traveling party for their tour of China and Singapore, and with United unwiling to meet the $62 million fee Inter want, the Croatian seems likely to stay in Italy. At least for now.
