West Ham United: Real Betis ready to sign Pablo Fornals permanently amid ‘sad’ turn of events at London Stadium
Real Betis are now prepared to make a permanent move for West Ham midfielder Pablo Fornals amid a “sad” turn of events, according to Jacob Steinberg.
The Guardian’s football reporter previously revealed via his personal X account (25 January) that the La Liga side were interested in the Spaniard, but would only be able to offer a loan switch.
Steinberg provided an update on Friday morning (26 January), revealing that Betis were now prepared to make a permanent bid with the impending sale of Luiz Henrique set to provide them with the funds they needed to reunite Fornals and Manuel Pellegrini.
While the 27-year-old has contributed to David Moyes’ side, Steinberg detailed that his “loss of form has been sad to watch”, suggesting that it was time to move the player on in order to upgrade the squad.
Spot on
It is difficult to disagree with Steinberg.
While Fornals has come up with some big moments during his stay at the London Stadium, it is hard to ignore his decline in form, especially this season.
He has started just four Premier League games this term, failing to register a goal or an assist, and with the arrival of Kalvin Phillips now confirmed, places in West Ham’s midfield are becoming more difficult to come by.
For Fornals to get his career back on track, and to start playing regularly again, this seems like a wise move, and it would see him reunite with the manager who brought him to the club in the first place, suggesting the faith he has in him.
Meanwhile, for the Hammers, Fornals’ sale mid-season could bring the club some much-needed funds which would allow the East London outfit to continue reshaping the squad in the summer.
In other West Ham news, one mega-rich club are ready to loan out an attacker who Moyes’ side are interested in.
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