West Ham United make last-gasp attempt to sign Filip Kostic as Juventus stance emerges on deadline day
West Ham United have made a last-gasp attempt to sign Juventus forward Filip Kostic, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The outlet reported in their print edition (1 September, pg 16) that while Juventus are willing to sell, the Hammers’ bid was “inappropriate” considering his £14million transfer fee from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer.
The 30-year-old has been a late target for the Hammers this summer, with Sky Sports reporting on their live transfer blog (31 August, 08:42) that he could cost at least £20million.
Leaving it late
As the transfer deadline quickly approaches, West Ham are keen to get more faces through the door to bolster their squad.
The Hammers are keen on the Serbian international, but seemingly both Juventus and the Hammers are quite far away in terms of agreeing a deal, or even the terms of a deal.
As per Sky Sports (31 August), the Hammers have been exploring loan options and permanent options for the former Frankfurt man, but with three years remaining on his contract, a cut-price deal is unlikely.
Kostic is yet to appear for Juventus this season and is clearly not in Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri’s plans for the season as the club are listening to offers.
He could be a good, if ageing, option for West Ham. He made 55 appearances for Juventus across all competitions last season, including 14 in Europe across the Champions League and Europa League. This European experience could prove very valuable in the Hammers’ Europa League run.
Having won the competition himself with Frankfurt, Kostic knows what it takes to go all the way in the competition.
While a gap in valuation is apparent, according to Calcio Mercato (31 August), Juventus are keen to “keep the Hammers from losing interest” in Kostic, but claims the lack of time remaining in the window could be a significant issue if a deal is not agreed.
This one could go down to the wire, but Hammers fans will be following it anxiously to see if they can get a new attacker in their ranks.
In other West Ham news, an unnamed Saudi club have made an offer to the Hammers for a £24million-plus valued star.