Divock Origi to miss AC Milan pre-season tour amid latest West Ham United speculation
Divock Origi is set to miss AC Milan’s pre-season tour and looks likely to leave the club amid links to West Ham this summer, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Italian newspaper reported on page nine in its print edition on 20 July that the Belgian had been “cut” from the Serie A giants’ trip to the US and that there is no place for him in the “attack of the new Milan”.
Gazzetta claims the Hammers are joined by Turkish side Galatasaray in their pursuit of the 28-year-old but, although discussions have taken place, the stumbling block is his £3.5million yearly salary.
Well-suited
This might not be a potential transfer that gets Hammers fans off their seats, but there is no doubt that the Belgian striker is well-suited to David Moyes’s style of play.
The West Ham boss likes to play with a strong number nine leading the line and, as has previously been seen in the Premier League during his time at Liverpool, Origi is exactly that.
The problem for the AC Milan forward is that he’s never been consistently given a run of games as a starter, with his time at the San Siro also largely being spent on the bench after being included in the starting lineup on just 10 occasions last season in his 36 appearances.
It was also the same story at Anfield, even though he scored a number of huge goals for Jurgen Klopp’s side. His record with the Reds is more than decent given his game time, though, as he registered 41 goals and tallied 18 assists in 175 appearances on Merseyside [Transfermarkt].
With Milan keen to move Origi on, he could be a shrewd signing to bring through the door to add more strength in depth to Moyes’s forward options for the upcoming season.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have a “good chance” of landing a midfielder that’s linked to Bayern Munich.