West Ham United will only consider the sale of midfielder Pedro Obiang if they sign a replacement first, according to Sky Sports.
The broadcaster report on their website that the Hammers have rebuffed an £8.9million bid from Serie A side Fiorentina for the 26-year-old, who has spent three years in east London.
Sky Sports claim that West Ham would only think about letting the 6’1″ Equatorial Guinea international [Transfermarkt] leave on the condition that they were able to secure a replacement player first.
OPINION
This is a sensible move which makes total sense for West Ham. January is the toughest time to buy players, so the club do not want to let Obiang leave and then find themselves short in midfield if they can’t find a replacement after that. Their preference is obviously to keep the 26-year-old around, with Obiang providing Manuel Pellegrini with some solid cover in midfield. However, despite there being no claim of such in this Sky report, the signs do suggest that Obiang would be keen on a return to Italy. The Spaniard spent several years in Serie A before joining West Ham from Sampdoria in 2015, and is likely eyeing up a return to the continent after losing his starting place at the London Stadium. The cards are in the club’s hands however, and he will just have to hope they can indeed find a suitable replacement before the deadline to facilitate a return to Serie A. The likelihood of that actually happening remains low, but it is not off the cards completely.
