A transfer battle is brewing between West Ham and Spurs for a ‘freak athlete’ midfielder, and one European giant is seriously concerned after a first bid was made.
The transfer business of West Ham and rivals Tottenham Hotspur is intrinsically linked this summer.
Spurs want to sign Hammers star Mohammed Kudus, who is being sold as a sacrificial lamb to raise funds for Graham Potter to make signings.
That’s because the board have serious concerns over PSR with £100m plus losses looming in West Ham’s next accounts.
A deal with Tottenham is totally undesirable from West Ham’s point of view.
New transfer tussle between West Ham and Spurs
Especially after it emerged Spurs are trying to get Kudus on the cheap.
West Ham fans are furious at the prospect of Kudus being sold to Tottenham.
The Hammers aren’t too happy with Daniel Levy either – and not for the first time. The two boardrooms have clashed numerous times in the last 15 years.
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A top ally of Hammers chief David Sullivan claims Levy is ‘up to his old tricks’ with his attempts to sign Kudus from West Ham.
It was also confirmed by Sullivan’s confidant that no official bid has been made by Spurs for Kudus.
West Ham are hoping Chelsea or another Premier League side will rescue them from the awkward situation of being forced to end a 14-year unofficial transfer embargo by offloading Kudus to Tottenham.
The Hammers are clearly feeling more confident about the money they will be bringing in for players this summer.
Because West Ham’s transfer window burst into life this week with confirmation of multiple bids.
The Hammers are said to be on the verge of signing a top young international star while bids have reportedly been made for at least two other players.
Now we know the identity of one of them amid a host of reports.
Giants fear West Ham and Spurs battle for ‘freak’ midfielder as first bid made
And Hammers fans may not be surprised to hear it is Tottenham and Levy who are one of the clubs throwing their hat in the ring for the same target.
A European giant fears a battle breaking out between West Ham and Spurs for ‘freak athlete’ midfielder as a first bid is made.
The good news for West Ham is that it is their club who has taken the initiative over Tottenham by making a bid for all-action Colombian star Richard Rios.
But the bad news is that the door remains open for Tottenham after the initial Hammers bid for Rios was knocked back by Palmeiras – from whom West Ham signed Luis Guilherme for £20m last summer.
West Ham are desperately lacking energy and dynamism in the middle of the park.
It is a problem Potter inherited after his predecessors failed miserably to adequately address the situation in the wake of Declan Rice’s departure to Arsenal.
Kudus is often forced to drop deep to pick up the ball and try and drive West Ham up the pitch with his pace, power and skill.
So it does not bear thinking about how bad it will be when Kudus leaves, if the issue isn’t addressed.
West Ham have been heavily linked with Rios since Potter’s arrival back in January.
UOL recently claimed the 24-year-old is at the top of a target list compiled by the Hammers boss and his head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay.
The Hammers were boosted when a deal between Porto and Palmeiras for Rios collapsed last month.
Hammers News reported last month that all roads lead to Rios for West Ham after the collapse of that Porto move.
Rios, who is just as adept at playing defensive midfield as he is attacking midfield, has starred at the Club World Cup with Palmeiras.
It seems to have convinced West Ham to make their move.
Spurs ‘bound’ to bid for Rios after £21.5m Hammers offer rejected
Because according to South American football journalist Pasquale Guarro, West Ham have made a £21.5m bid for Rios to try and beat Spurs to the star.
According to Guarro, the offer has been rejected with Palmeiras wanting around £25-26m.
“Richard Rios, Palmeiras is asking for around 30 million euros (£25.8m) for his transfer fee,” Guarro said.
“South American media reports strong interest from Al-Hilal and also an offer of 25 million euros (£21.5m) from West Ham, rejected by Palmeiras.”
That has made big news in Italy, where Champions League finalists Inter Milan reportedly want Rios to replace Hakan Calhanoglu, who is keen to move to his boyhood club Galatasaray this summer.
Calciomercato claim Inter are worried by the interest from the Premier League and also claim West Ham have had a bid rejected.