Marko Arnautovic would be allowed to leave West Ham this summer, according to journalist Gianluca DiMarzio.
The Italian journalist claims that the Austrian forward wants a move to Italy, with Serie A giants Inter Milan still exploring the possibility of an offer.
DiMarzio reports that the Hammers would demand £22.2million for the 30-year-old.
Antonio Conte’s preference is reportedly Roma striker Edin Dzeko, with the Bosnian a top priority at the San Siro.
The £100,000 per-week star [Spotrac] endured an average 18/19 campaign under Manuel Pellegrini, scoring 10 goals in his 28 Premier League appearances.
OPINION
While the move itself might not come as much of a surprise, with there being constant reports linking Arnautovic with a move away from West Ham throughout the whole of last season, the fee seems very odd. Last January, West Ham were reportedly refusing to sell Arnautovic for £35million and he was said to be vital to Pellegrini’s future plans. Why would they now take almost £13million less? That just doesn’t make any sense, especially with the striker having four years left on his current deal after signing a new contract in 2019. It was said then that it would be a “PR disaster” if they sold Arnautovic in January and that would surely only be worse if they got rid of him now on the cheap. However, the Chilean has been reportedly linked with making a £35million move for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson by the Sun, and the England international would be a direct replacement for the Austrian should he leave. Wilson was involved in 10 more goals than Arnautovic in the last campaign but their underlying stats are very similar. Arnautovic had 49 shots in 28 league games, with 32 on target. He completed 75% of his 23 passes per game. Wilson had 53 shots across 30 league games, with 29 on target, and he completed 68% of his 15 passes. [InfoGol]. One thing is in Wilson’s favour though – at 27, he has three years on Arnautovic.
