By Daniel Feliciano

17th May, 2023 | 1:10pm

AC Milan plot loan bid to sign West Ham United star Gianluca Scamacca with £17.5m option to buy

AC Milan want to sign Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham this summer and are prepared to offer a loan bid with an option to buy for £17.5m.

The Hammers splashed £35m on the Italy international last summer, but he has struggled with injuries this season and managed just seven goals in his debut campaign.

After a change of agents and plenty of speculation about his future, Champions League semi-finalists are reportedly preparing an offer to try and lure him back to Italy according to a report from Fichajes.net (17 May).

Scamacca is under contract at the London Stadium until 2027, but is currently recovering from knee surgery and won’t play again this season.

No chance

Scamacca has hardly pulled up any trees since he came to the club, but there’s no doubting the player’s ability and quality.

It’s the reason we spent £35m on him one year ago, and he’s still our best striker when everyone is fit and firing.

Michail Antonio is likely to leave this summer and Danny Ings may be Premier League proven, but he has failed to hit the ground running since joining in the January transfer window either.

If Scamacca wants to leave for whatever reason then we absolutely shouldn’t keep him against his will because that would be no use to anyone, but we can’t let him leave one year into a five-year contract and take a hit financially. That would make no sense.

If he is to leave it has to be on West Ham terms and our terms only, and that means getting our money back in full as a bare minimum.

Milan have the cash so there’s no excuses. If they want him and he wants to go, then they have to pay up to get him. Simple.