West Ham United are ready to meet the £43.5million release clause of Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez despite handing a new deal to Marko Arnautovic, according to the Evening Standard.
The newspaper report that the Irons are prepared to break their transfer record to sign the 22-year-old, with the club then likely to loan him straight back to the La Liga side until the summer.
The Standard claim that the 6’1″ Gomez [Transfermarkt] is seen as a perfect replacement for Arnautovic, who will be allowed to leave the club at the end of the season despite penning an extension.
The club’s current transfer record stands at the £36million they paid for Felipe Anderson in the summer.
OPINION
It really does look as though West Ham are keen on signing Gomez, and are now even willing to splash out and loan him back to Vigo until the summer. That really iterates their desire to secure the services of the 22-year-old Uruguay international, who is highly-rated across the continent. Gomez is seen as the successor to Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani in his homeland, and West Ham will be hoping he can emulate the success of the former in the Premier League. Gomez has nine goals so far this season in La Liga for Vigo, who are hovering just above the relegation zone. A deal being struck this month was always likely to rely upon a loan-back agreement, with the Galician club dependent on Gomez’s goals to stay up. Signing Gomez to replace Arnautovic is a good move from the Irons, who will be bringing a real talent to the Premier League.
