Marko Arnautovic asked West Ham United to accept a bid for him from an unnamed Chinese club, according to Football FanCast.
The online football outlet claimed that the Austrian international spoke to the club after a £19million offer was placed.
It was reported by Claret and Hugh on Tuesday that the offer was laughed off by the Hammers, who quickly rejected the bid. It was suggested that Manuel Pellegrini would listen to offers in the region of £40million for the £120,000 per-week ace.
The 30-year-old was reported by Sky Sports to have handed in a transfer request at the London Stadium before the offer was placed.
The striker wanted West Ham to accept a £35million bid for him from China in January.
OPINION
The more that is revealed during this, the more it becomes clearer that West Ham must show Arnautovic the exit door. With the Austrian continuing to complicate matters with his requests and demands, it could come to point where Pellegrini will just want to see the back of the 10-goal forward. With a £14million offer reportedly being prepared for West Brom forward Salomon Rondon, a second offer could fund that move and also leave funds for another move in the transfer window. This is the second time Arnautovic has handed in a transfer request, and should he not move this summer, it probably won’t be the last. It is definitely best for all parties should a move be granted. Having said that, the Hammers can be praised for not wanting to let their main striker leave the club for a small fee, with a larger sum putting them in a position to activate Maxi Gomez’ reported £43.5million release clause. Either way, West Ham can be the winners in this situation – with any move surely funding a fresh move for a new striker.
