West Ham United have not given up on signing Hans Vanaken
West Ham still want to sign Club Brugge attacking midfielder Hans Vanaken, despite completing a £51m move for Lucas Paqueta according to Nieuwsblad.
The Hammers have seen two bids rejected for the 30-year-old Belgium international, with the most recent being worth a total of €13m (£11.1m) including add-ons.
But despite completing a deal for the Brazil international playmaker this week, the Belgian outlet claims that David Moyes’ side have not given up hope of signing Vanaken and could return with another bid before Thursday’s deadline.
Vanaken went public with his wish to move to east London recently, claiming this could be his last chance for a big move, but Brugge are reluctant to let him go after losing Charles De Ketelaere already this summer.
They are said to want a package worth a total of €20m (£15m) to let him leave, and if he doesn’t then they could offer him a new contract on improved terms to keep him happy.
Big spend
West Ham have already spent upwards of £175m this summer on the signings of Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola, Flynn Downes, Maxwel Cornet, Gianluca Scamacca, Emerson Palmieri and Paqueta.
Spending more money on a position that is already quite well stocked with the likes of Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini and now Paqueta seems an odd decision.
Central defence and central midfield are far more pressing issues for the squad currently, but Vanaken provides a good option who is a long-term target and has scored double digits for goals in each of the last 11 seasons.
Now the club must decide whether to continue pursuing a deal considering the big gap in valuation between the clubs, but the player is keen to make the move and that could play a part in negotiations.
It’s certainly one to keep an eye on heading into the final 48 hours of the transfer window, with West Ham clearly intent on making a big statement with their squad this summer.