West Ham United could allow veteran midfielder Carlos Sanchez to leave the club for nothing this summer, according to Claret & Hugh.
The reliable Hammers news source claims that the 33-year-old, who is on a reported £50,000-per-week [Source: Spotrac], may be permitted to depart for free.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side are thought to value the player at £1million, but would be open to letting him leave by mutual consent for no cost as they bid to reduce their wage bill.
OPINION
This makes complete sense for Wes Ham. The club have been working for some time now to get their wage bill down, selling Lucas Perez and allowing the likes of Andy Carroll and Samir Nasri to leave when their contracts expire. The next step, it seems, is to get rid of one of their central midfielders. Claret & Hugh’s report states that Pedro Obiang would be allowed to leave for £8million, as well, although no bids have yet arrived for the former Sampdoria man. Obiang would certainly bring in more money than Sanchez, but if Pellegrini were to keep one it would undoubtedly be the former. So the priority for the Hammers should be getting rid of the Colombian international at whatever the cost – even no cost, apparently. If no team comes in with an actual bid for the veteran midfielder – and who could blame them for that – then it would be wise for West Ham to let him leave for free if he can find an interested party ready to sign him.