Michail Antonio is set to stay at West Ham despite constantly being linked with a move to Crystal Palace, according to Claret & Hugh.
The reliable Hammers website states that the 28-year-old winger was on Manuel Pellegrini’s to keep list as he was seen as being an important player.
Claret & Hugh report that a top source has informed them that Antonio is simply not for sale however the news outlet go on to state that Antonio’s teamate Cheik Kouyate will be allowed to join Palace if they match his asking price.
It is believed that while Kouyate will be available for £15million, Palace may struggle to get a deal done for him as they spent big last summer.
OPINION
This is potentially fantastic news as a fit and healthy Antonio is capable of being a quality player in the Premier League. The winger, who earns £70,000-a-week at the London Stadium (Source: Spotrac), has suffered numerous injury problems in recent seasons but when fit is a valuable member of the Hammers squad, so it’s great news that he is staying put. Sky Sports previously reported that Palace were keen to sign Antonio and were plotting a £15million bid and that even thought the winger had impressed Pellegrini, he was still worryingly set to exit. However Claret & Hugh are a reliable source of information so if they’re stating that the 28-year-old is not going to depart, then it’s very likely he could be in line to face Liverpool in the Hammers’ first game of the 2018/19 campaign. Hopefully now Antonio’s future looks secure the winger won’t be linked away in the days that remain of the transfer window as supporters of the Hammers won’t want to consider him leaving anytime soon.
