West Ham United respond to Dominic Calvert-Lewin transfer offer amid Everton exit update
West Ham United have “politely declined” an offer to sign Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer, according to Sean Whetstone.
Whetstone reported via the X account West Ham Football (19 July) that the Irons were offered the England forward by an agent, with the Toffees looking for a fee upwards of £37million for his signature.
Calvert-Lewin’s wage demands were understood to be in the region of £130,000-a-week and given his poor injury record over the past couple of seasons, the Irons decided against pursuing a potential deal.
Julen Lopetegui is understood to be eager to sign a new striker this summer [Evening Standard, 9 July], with reports suggesting talks had been held over a potential deal for the Everton centre-forward [Daily Mail, 16 July].
Will West Ham United sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin amid Everton exit speculation?
A new number nine is a necessity at the London Stadium this summer as Lopetegui cannot head into next term relying on both Danny Ings and Michail Antonio to lead the line week in and week out.
But the Hammers cannot afford to be held to ransom for players. Calvert-Lewin when fit is an excellent Premier League striker, but his injury record is abysmal and he isn’t worth a nearly £40million transfer fee.
For that fee, there will be better options available to the Hammers before the Premier League gets back underway. Unless his wage demands drop or Everton’s valuation changes, this deal feels like a total non-starter.
Hopefully, the Hammers will quickly turn their attention to alternative targets and try to get a deal for a new centre-forward over the line sooner rather than later.
No one is expecting a 20-goal-a-season forward to be cheap, but paying £37million for a striker who only found the net seven times in the league last term is a terrible idea.
In other West Ham news, Brentford have made a decision on Ivan Toney’s future amid links with the Hammers and Tottenham this summer
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