Marko Arnautovic spotted with Declan Rice and Jesse Lingard amid West Ham transfer talks
West Ham manager David Moyes has admitted he is open to reuniting with Marko Arnautovic this summer.
While the Hammers boss told Sky Sports that managing the Austrian was challenging, he confessed to loving it and is hoping to run the rule over him at this summer’s European Championships.
England kicked off preparations for Euro 2020 with a friendly with Austria last night, and Arnautovic was back in the country.
As shown on Twitter, the Shanghai Port hitman was seen enjoying a discussion with West Ham star Declan Rice and 2021 loanee Jesse Lingard.
Could a reunion be on the cards?
The 32-year-old currently earns around £300,000 per week [Standard Sport] in the Chinese Super League, and whether he will be keen to return to the Hammers on reduced wages remains to be seen.
Arnautovic handed in a transfer request to quit the Irons in the summer of 2019, demanding to leave us just six months after signing a four-year contract extension.
West Ham had knocked back a £45million bid [The Times] for Arnautovic in January 2019 but were forced to accept a £23million bid a few months later.
While we are not particularly keen on having the ageing hitman back, Moyes appears to be eyeing a reunion and he has his reasons.
The Irons boss was able to turn Arnautovic’s career around during his first spell with us, deploying the Austrian through the middle with great success.
He bagged 11 goals and made six assists in 26 games under Moyes having not scored a single goal for West Ham before the arrival of the manager.
As seen on Twitter, Arnautovic appeared to send a come-and-get-me-plea to West Ham last April and was also looking to return during the January transfer window [Standard Sport].
Perhaps, he was getting the message across to Rice and Lingard last night, and the club could be keen on a move if he impresses at the Euros.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are in talks with Barcelona over signing this defender.
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