Sevilla want to sign West Ham United playmaker Pablo Fornals on free transfer in January
Sevilla want to sign Pablo Fornals on a free transfer in January when he enters the final six months of his West Ham contract, report Vamos Mi Sevilla.
Writing on their website (11 September), the Spanish news outlet report that the 27-year-old playmaker was on the verge of a move to the La Liga side in the summer but they couldn’t make it work financially.
Now director of football Victor Orta is looking ahead to next summer and wants Fornals to pen a pre-contract agreement in January to join for free, with his current Hammers deal due to expire in June 2024.
“One of them who was on the verge of coming was Pablo Fornals, [but didn’t] due to the restrictions with the salary limit and the high price requested by West Ham,” they wrote.
“As of January 2024, Fornals will be a free agent, so he will be able to negotiate with any club, with Sevilla among his preferences.
“The probable departures of Oliver Torres and Lamela would bring in this 27-year-old playmaker, with quality and goals in his boots and, most importantly, at zero cost.”
Try again
It’s no shock that top clubs are interested in signing Fornals and with the additions of Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus recently, his playing time will no doubt take a hit.
But it seems that Sevilla have missed the part in his contract where the Hammers hold the option to extend it by another year, effectively tying him down until 2025.
If there is interest in a player that Moyes loves then you can be sure that they won’t look to let him leave for free, especially not by signing a deal in the middle of a season and that option will likely be triggered.
Even if the player makes up his mind that he wants to leave then the club would no doubt trigger it to ensure they are due a transfer fee and still in control of his future, meaning Sevilla will likely need to pay up or look elsewhere.
Hammers fans will be hoping that Fornals stays because he has become a fan favourite during his time here and always gives his all, so it’s one to keep an eye on if he doesn’t get a lot of playing time between now and the January window.
In other West Ham news, key star could be set to miss clash v Manchester City after David Moyes admission.