West Ham set to miss out on Benfica’s Darwin Nunez as Man United, Chelsea and PSG lead chase
West Ham face missing out on key transfer target Darwin Nunez as three European giants have gone ahead of them in the chase, reports The Athletic.
According to David Ornstein Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain lead the pursuit for the Benfica striker who the Hammers attempted to sign in January.
Fabrizio Romano reported a month ago that although the club failed with a €48million bid on deadline day they would be in with “good chances” when they came back in the summer, but it looks like other sides will have better chances.
Ornstein’s article says: “The Athletic has established that while many clubs have been credited with an interest, at this point the three front-runners for his signature are regarded as being Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
“Benfica are open to a sale, with his price anticipated to be around €70 million, and initial conversations are expected to conclude in the coming weeks as the Portuguese club would ideally like a deal concluded early in the window so a replacement can be sought.”
Big blow
The news will come as a major disappointment to David Moyes who Claret & Hugh reported recently was “determined” to complete the signing in the summer.
The club have needed support in the striking department for some time, with too much relying on whether Michail Antonio is firing.
The Uruguayan star has been in superb form this year, scoring his 31st goal of the season at the weekend, and as such is attracting some of Europe’s biggest sides.
Interest from Chelsea of course depends entirely on whether the club can be sold from Roman Abramovich, but the other two have no such issues.
Nunez was one of three big-money attempted transfers during the winter window, along with Leeds pair Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha.
The Irons boss was encouraged that the board had backed him with record-sized bids, but the moves were widely dismissed as having no chance of success.
And with Champions League qualification likely now resting on winning the Europa League the club is at a significant disadvantage in this chase.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers missed a golden opportunity to sign an international star as Moyes admits the club was offered him.
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