West Ham have bid £10.7million for Genoa midfielder Diego Laxalt, according to a Gazetto dello Sport journalist.
Nicolo Schira stated via their personal Twitter account that the Hammers were very interested in signing the 25-year-old left-sided flyer and had offered 12 million euros (£10.7million) for him after beginning talks with the Italian side about acquiring his services.
#WestHam is really interested in Diego #Laxalt. Hammers have started talks with #Genoa and offered €12M for him. #transfers #WHUFC
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) July 17, 2018
The trusted journalist’s update on the Hammers’ interest in Laxalt comes on the back a report by Tuttomercatoweb who claimed that Genoa had slapped a £17.7million price tag on the player’s head.
OPINION
Laxalt gained a lot of admirers after featuring four times for Uruguay at the World Cup in Russia as he put in several impressive performances. However it is hard to see why the Hammers are pursuing his services. While Laxalt can feature at left-back or on the left-side of midfielder it’s not an area where Manuel Pellegrini is struggling for options. The 25-year-old is a pacey player who will no doubt do well at the club if recruited but he’s only needed if the likes of Aaron Cresswell are being pushed out the door. With it previously being reported by Claret & Hugh that Pellegrini had decided to make Cresswell a big part of his plans next season, that seems unlikely. Also as it was previously claimed that Laxalt would cost in the region of £17.7million it seems the Hammers are a long way off meeting his price tag by bidding only £10.7million for him. Perhaps the London side are simply trying their luck by bidding such a low amount and will soon abandon their pursuit of the left-sided flyer.
