West Ham transfer stance on Michail Antonio revealed amid Saudi Arabia interest
West Ham are unlikely to let Michail Antonio go for free this summer amid interest from Saudi Arabia, according to Jacob Steinberg.
The Guardian journalist reported via Twitter (17 July) that Al-Ettifaq’s interest in Antonio is not at an advanced stage as it remains unclear whether or not the club are willing to pay a transfer fee.
However, the striker is now entering the final year of his contract and is willing to leave the East London club.
If any deal is to progress, it seems as if Al-Ettifaq will have to come back to the Hammers with a transfer proposal for the 33-year-old.
Logical
This is a transfer that just simply makes sense. Antonio is now 33 years of age and past his best with just a year left on his deal, now seems like a fantastic chance for him to go and earn one big final payday.
If the interest is genuine and Antonio is open to leaving the London Stadium this summer then there would be few better places for the forward to go than Saudi Arabia.
He is unlikely to get another long-term move to a top European side and would most likely be offered a mouthwatering wage to join Al-Ettifaq, which would give him the chance to land one last lucrative deal.
Yet it is absolutely reasonable that West Ham would not be willing to let the Jamaica international go for free. He still has a year left on his deal and the club are well within their rights to demand a transfer fee.
Although all seems relatively calm right now this could certainly be a move that gathers momentum as the window goes on. Watch this space.
In other West Ham news, the club have made a verbal offer to sign a new midfielder.