On the day of the transfer deadline, West Ham United makes one more attempt to sign Filip Kostic as Juventus’ stance becomes clear.
According to Corriere dello Sport, West Ham United has made a last-ditch effort to sign Juventus attacker Filip Kostic.
According to the outlet’s print version (1 September, pg. 16), despite Juventus’ willingness to sell, their assessment of the Hammers’ offer was that it was “inappropriate” given the player’s £14 million summer transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 30-year-old was a late summer target for the Hammers, and Sky Sports reported (31 August, 08:42) on their live transfer blog that he might cost at least £20 million.
Arriving too late
West Ham is eager to bring in more players to bolster their roster as the transfer deadline draws near.
The Hammers are interested in signing the Serbian international, but it appears that a deal—or even the conditions of a deal—between Juventus and the Hammers is still quite a ways off.
According to Sky Sports (31 August), the Hammers have been looking into loan and permanent alternatives for the former Frankfurt player, although a deal at a discount is doubtful given that he still has three years left on his contract.
Kostic has yet to play a single game for Juventus this year, and it is evident that Massimiliano Allegri does not include Kostic in his season-long plans as the club is open to offers.
Although becoming older, he might be a solid alternative for West Ham. In all competitions last season, he made 55 appearances for Juventus, including 14 in the Europa League and 14 in the Champions League. The Hammers’ Europa League run may benefit greatly from this European experience.
Kostic, who personally won the tournament with Frankfurt, is aware of what it takes to prevail.
Although there is a clear disparity in price, Juventus are eager to “keep the Hammers from losing interest” in Kostic, according to Calcio Mercato (31 August), but claims the little amount of time left in the window might be a major problem if a deal is not reached.
Hammers supporters will be watching this one closely to see if they can add a new attacker to their team. This one could go down to the wire.
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