West Ham get Marc Casado answer already as Hansi Flick confirms what player’s told him
West Ham recently made an ambitious bid for Barcelona star Marc Casado, and there has now been a major development over his future.
Casado established himself as an important player for Barcelona at the start of last season, but fell down the pecking order in midfield towards the end of the campaign.
West Ham recently bid for Casado as they look to strengthen their midfield, and Casado would be a huge upgrade on James Ward-Prowse.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has now spoken about Casado’s future and revealed what he told the midfielder after the bid.
Marc Casado to stay at Barcelona
Despite Karren Brady’s insistence that West Ham are aiming to sign a midfielder, there has been little movement apart from the bid for Casado.
It now appears that the door is closed for Casado to move to West Ham, with both Barcelona and the midfielder keen on keeping him with the Blaugrana.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of Barcelona’s trip to face Levante on Friday, Flick revealed he spoke to Casado about his future, and confirmed that he wants him to stay.
| Graham Potter’s options in central midfield |
| Tomas Soueck |
| Guido Rodriguez |
| Freddie Potts |
| James Ward-Prowse |
| Andy Irving |
“I’ve spoken to him and he doesn’t want to leave, and I want him to stay,” he told reporters.
“It’s going to be a difficult season, and we need all the players we have right now.
“He gives us confidence, and that’s what I want from him. It’s not easy for the coach, but we need all the players.”
- Read more: Forget Mateus Fernandes – the three midfielders West Ham must target as another exit nears
West Ham bid for Marc Casado was always unrealistic
West Ham’s bid for Casado was reportedly around the £26million mark, and this was never going to be enough to land a player of Casado’s quality.
The 21-year-old was a key part of Flick’s side as Barcelona won La Liga last season, and one of his best games came as they thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in El Clasico.
Despite Barcelona aiming to make sales, West Ham’s offer was obviously too low, and it is a repeat of previous derisory bids made by David Sullivan in the past.
West Ham do want a midfielder, but the move for Casado may have been one made for Sullivan to attempt to show that the intention to strengthen is there, whether or not that is actually true.
Graham Potter needs reinforcements in the final week of the transfer window, and West Ham will be heading for disaster if they do not strengthen their midfield.
Sign up for the West Ham Zone WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Ham United news sent straight to your phone.