West Ham talks for Lazio speed machine Felipe Anderson have been put on standby as the two clubs remain far apart in their valuations, according to Gianluca di Marzio.
The Italian transfer guru reports on his personal website that the Hammers are refusing to budge on their offer of £30.8million with £4.4million in add-ons, with the Serie A club seeking a fixed fee of £35million.
Di Marzio claims that negotiations have now hit a major deadlock amid both sides’ refusal to move closer on price, with talks now on standby after the latest contact on Sunday evening.
The jet-heeled flyer scored scored eight goals and registered ten assists in 32 appearances last term.
OPINION
It had looked as though the Hammers were extremely close to capturing Anderson quite early on in negotiations, but that now looks to have been exposed as premature reporting from the Italian press. Talks have now dragged on for several weeks since then and the two sides look to be no closer to reaching an agreement. You would think that the longer they go on the less likely West Ham are to get their man, although Lazio’s recent financial troubles suggest that the Italian club may end up having to lower their demands for the Brazilian speedster. On the other hand though West Ham will not want to be dragged into talks which end up lasting until August, with Manuel Pellegrini having his eye on several more players he would like to bring to the club this summer. They will therefore be seeking a swift conclusion to these discussions, and hopefully they can make some headway in the coming days.
