West Ham United want to sign both Salomon Rondon and Maxi Gomez this summer, according to Football FanCast.
The football news outlet claim that Manuel Pellegrini has specifically requested that a deal for Celta Vigo striker Gomez be completed and that he would like to reunite with Rondon too, after previously working with the Venezuelan at Malaga.
With both Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll having left the club, and Javier Hernandez expected to leave soon on top of that – the Hammers would need to spend a reported £61.2million to secure the two forwards this summer.
West Ham reportedly had an offer of £10million plus two players rejected for Rondon, with the 29-year-old holding a £16.5million release clause at West Brom.
Celta Vigo are also said holding out for a figure closer to their reported £43.5million buy-out clause for Gomez, with the London club already having an offer turned down for the Uruguayan.
OPINION
If this report has anything to go by, then West Ham surely mean business this summer ahead of the new Premier League season. With the departures of three experienced strikers in Perez, Carroll, and possibly Hernandez, the signing of one top forward would have been expected, but with Football FanCast revealing that Pellegrini wants both Rondon and Gomez, Hammers’ fans must have been sent into dreamland. The only stumbling block of any deal that could bring both men to the London Stadium would be the combined cost of over £60million. Mario Husillos has his work cut out to try and work some magic and potentially secure cheaper deals, but both clubs seem set that they would like to receive the player’s release clause. The Argentine started with the right idea when including fringe players in the deal for Rondon, and should he offer a different type of player such as Reece Oxford, who West Brom are reportedly interested in, a cheaper deal could be agreed. As for Gomez, Husillos will need to either negotiate hard or admit that it’s going nowhere and pay the release clause, with reports suggesting a move for the Uruguayan could go on till as long as transfer deadline day.