West Ham are ready to launch an £8.6million (€10million) bid for the services of Edin Dzeko this summer despite current club Roma valuing him at double that, according to Corriere Della Sera.
The Italian publication claim on their website that the east Londoners are keen on reuniting the Bosnian colossus, who stands just under 6’4″ tall (source: Transfermarkt), with former manager Manuel Pellegrini this summer and are set to offer a seven figure fee for his capture.
However it is stated that Roma want around £17million (€20million) from suitors to seal a deal, with a contract in the Italian capital that runs until the summer of 2020.
Opinion
West Ham would be snapping up an absolute bargain if they could convince Roma to sell up for less than £10million but judging by the asking price set on his head, they are just chancing their luck rather than making a bid which is likely to tempt them. Yes, Dzeko might only have a year left on his contract in the summer but that does not mean the Italian giants will feel forced to sell for a cut price and there will no doubt be plenty of competition for the Hammers to contend with which could well drive up the asking price. Perhaps the Irons are counting on the striker’s relationship with Pellegrini, who he played under at Manchester City, to make the difference in negotiations but while that could play some part in the player’s decision making, it is not going to be the decisive factor. That will likely come down to both ambition and money – depending on who the Hammers are up against for his capture, they could offer both.
