OPINION
West Ham must act fast in the race to sign Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi after Atletico Madrid reportedly make an offer for the defender.
The Hammers were showing interest in the Argentine earlier this month, according to The Daily Mail.
However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and reliable journalist Nicolo Schira, Atletico Madrid have offered Manchester City €20million (Approximately: £17.3million) for the services of the defender.
#AtleticoMadrid want to close Nicolas #Otamendi. Colchoneros have offered €20M to #ManchesterCity. Contacts ongoing. #transfers #MCFC
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) May 25, 2019
In a tweet from his personal Twitter account, Schira said: “#AtleticoMadrid want to close Nicolas #Otamendi.
“Colchoneros have offered €20M to #ManchesterCity. Contacts ongoing. #transfers #MCFC”
Assuming that this reported interest from the Spanish giants is serious, Manuel Pellegrini must act fast in the race to sign the Argentina international, as the Hammers could potentially risk missing out on a key signing going into next years Premier League campaign.
The enforcer has featured 33 times this season for Manchester City, only 18 of which were in the Premier League, and it is now looking increasingly likely that he will be exiting the club this summer as Man City are continuing to talk to Atletico Madrid.
Otamendi would fit in perfectly at the London Stadium, and definitely still has the defensive capabilities to do a fine job for a club in the Premier League given his experience, but Pellegrini will need to act fast if he is serious about bringing the 31-year old to West Ham.
It seems likely that the defender could be tempted by a move to Spain, as the transfer does come with the promise of European football in the form of the Champions League.
It wouldn’t be ideal for the Hammers to miss out on signing Otamendi, but Pellegrini will have to seriously book his ideas up and make a solid move for the player in the coming weeks if the deal is to have any chance of actually happening.
