West Ham United set for Atalanta offer for Gianluca Scamacca, Demiral on table
Atalanta are set to offer West Ham a substantial cash offer as well as defender Merih Demiral in a bid to sign Gianluca Scamacca, according to Goal.
The Italian website reported on Wednesday (2 August) that Atalanta have emerged as favourites for the Italian striker’s signature ahead of Roma and Inter Milan.
Demiral, a Turkish international, played 28 times for Atalanta last season, scoring once from defence as a rotation option as they finished fifth in Serie A and has been linked with an exit this summer.
Atalanta seems the most likely now to win the race for Scamacca’s signature with plenty of money at their disposal causing a shift in power that appears disastrous for both Inter Milan and Roma
West Ham have been in the market for a central defender this summer, with links to Jonathan Tah and Harry Maguire so the addition of Demiral to the deal may make this deal appeal to David Moyes and those above him at the London Stadium.
The ideal offer
It’s not very often a football club can sell a player and also seem to strengthen their side in doing so, but the deal being touted between West Ham and Atalanta seems to do exactly that.
A financial fee will always be preferred by the Hammers as it allows them to strengthen their squad on their terms, but the addition of Demiral to the deal as well as a transfer fee kills two birds with one stone.
The Turkish defender won’t have been top of Moyes’ shopping list this summer, but securing the services of a young, international defender without having to pay a penny can never be sniffed at, especially when the Hammers’ are finding it so hard to get deals over the line this transfer window.
With the transfer fee, the Irons will become able to up their bids for potential targets such as James Ward-Prowse and Conor Gallagher, without having to leave money aside to reinvest in defence now that they would have Demiral in their ranks.
As long as the financial side of the deal isn’t too much lower than that offered by Inter this summer, this seems like the perfect deal for West Ham.
In other West Ham news, Southampton still expect a third bid for James Ward-Prowse despite threats the Hammers may leave talks