According to Sky Sports, West Ham have had a £25 million bid for Bournemouth duo Matt Richie and Callum Wilson rejected by the South coast club.
Sky sources understand that “they have been told Wilson and Ritchie are not for sale and, at the moment, are not planning to make a further offer.”
Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn reportedly reiterated that his club were not selling any of their best players, no matter what price was being offered.
According to HITC, Mostyn wouldn’t welcome any future offers, and in an interview on Talksport the chairman stated, “First of all, we don’t speculate on any comments regarding our players,” he said, when asked about West Ham’s bid. “From our perspective we want to keep our players together.
Callum Wilson had a great start to the season, as West Ham fans will bitterly remember, as he scored a hat trick in a 4-3 victory against us in the league. He then spent most of the season out injured, only recently returning. There is no denying his talent, and Wilson could be the player to replace Diafra Sakho if the striker does leave this summer. The signing of Wilson would still leave room for a £25 million plus striker to join in the summer, giving us valuable options up front.
Ritchie had a decent season, and could be a good signing to add strength in depth to the attacking midfield positions. The double signing would strengthen Slaven Bilic’s side for next year, but it is looking unlikely that any deal could be struck. Bournemouth will look to hold onto their two prize assets, and losing both could cause serious trouble for a team that will likely be in a relegation scrap next season.
What do you think of the potential double bid? Would you be happy if we managed to bring the duo to the club for next season?
