West Ham make contact over Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite
West Ham have made an enquiry to Barcelona over their Danish forward Martin Braithwaite, according to Spanish news outlet Sport.
The Barcelona-based newspaper, boasting over 75,000 followers on their verified Twitter profile, claim the Irons are among four Premier League clubs chasing the 30-year-old’s signature, with Burnley, Brighton and Norwich City also in contention.
Braithwaite, currently starring at Euro 2020 with Denmark, is said to be expendable by his current club, after the La Liga giants signed Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay.
As per Sport’s report, he is said to be one of the most “beloved” players in the dressing room, with Camp Nou figures “delighted with his involvement and professionalism”.
However, the Blaugrana are aiming to recoup a “good part” of the £15.4million they paid to remove him from his Leganes contract last year.
Braithwaite only scored twice in La Liga last season, but he scored three times in the Champions League, including a brace against Dynamo Kyiv in November, while he hit five goals in eight starts as a centre forward. [WhoScored]
Move on
Braithwaite has been impressive in his three Euro 2020 starts so far, completing the full match in two to help Denmark to finish second and into the knock-out stages.
However, there are also a multitude of reasons why we should avoid making a concrete move for him.
His age is one thing that counts against him – he’s not someone that is going to improve, and his market value will only decrease. Spending between £10-15million would take a big chunk out of our summer budget, and it’s simply not worth it for someone of his profile.
Braithwaite has prior experience of playing in England, spending two years with Middlesbrough in the Championship, though he spent the second half of both seasons out on loan at European clubs.
A tally of nine goals in 40 appearances for the north-east side is not exactly mouthwatering.
These are sort of signings we have become known for – signing old, expensive cast-offs from elite clubs, and we should be moving away from that now.
We can’t see this being a deal that gets done, unless he was granted a free transfer.
In other West Ham news, Roy Keane has been blown away by this ‘Unbelievable’ Irons star who is a ‘Hell of a player’.
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