West Ham are caught as a January exit for a talent who will go on a cheap deal takes form.
According to a source, a Champions League contender is expected to attack West Ham United for Pablo Fornals in January, and the amount they can expect to pay will not go down well in east London.
Fornals, 27, is a player on whom David Moyes has always relied during his time in the city. Over the previous two seasons, Fornals appeared in 104 games, culminating in the club’s Europa Conference League victory, in which he was a second-half substitute.
This season, the versatile midfielder has participated in six of West Ham’s seven games.
The majority of those appearances, though, have come from the bench, with new arrivals such as Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, and Mohamed Kudus preferred. Retaining Lucas Paqueta, who was close to joining Manchester City in the summer, will be another significant hurdle between Fornals and consistent game-time in the future.
According to El Sevillista, Fornals’ time with the Hammers may be coming to an end once the winter transfer window opens.
Fornals is in the final year of his contract and, as such, will be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs beginning in January.
West Ham Zone is a state. West Ham’s attempts to bind Fornals to a new contract have failed.
West Ham has a club option for another year, according to The Athletic. However, if Fornals does not want to sign a longer-term contract, it may be prudent to avoid exercising the option for a player who may see his future elsewhere.
An withdrawal sometime in 2024 now appears to be the most likely scenario. A January sale to Sevilla has been suggested to ensure Fornals does not leave for nothing.
According to El Sevillista, Sevilla held conversations with West Ham over the summer about signing Fornals, but the deal fell through due to the ‘expensive price’ demanded by West Ham.
Sevilla, who are competing in this year’s Champions League, have maintained their interest. Rather than waiting until next summer, when Fornals may be available for nothing, they are said to be considering signing Fornals in January.
The player’s contract issue has hampered West Ham’s capacity to hold out for a large fee. As a result, it is stated that a ‘negligible’ bid will suffice to close the purchase.
Sevilla have started the new season slowly, with only seven points from a possible 18 in LaLiga.
Their first UCL home match against Lens ended in a 1-1 draw. Sevilla bosses are hoping to make a January splash to help stop their season, and Fornals is the man they’re turning to.
