West Ham have €35m bid for Sporting midfielder wanting move to European ‘shark’ rejected
West Ham reportedly had a formal offer for Matheus Nunes which was rejected by Sporting Lisbon.
Nunes has been the subject of much transfer speculation this summer linked to a number of Premier League clubsincluding Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool.
MAILBOX: All Or Nothing: Arsenal divides opinion about Arteta. And Aston Villa is in trouble
Nunes had an outstanding 2021/22 season, making 50 appearances for his club in all competitions.
He also made his debut for the Portuguese national team last October and now has eight caps and one goal to his credit.
recording (above sports witness) claim the Hammers had made a formal offer of €30m plus €5m in variables but it was “futile” as it fell short of Sporting’s valuation.
The Primeira Liga side have reportedly told the Premier League side that they want €50m for the 23-year-old.
The report claims West Ham officials have dealt directly with the Lions, while agent Jorge Mendes is said to have been used as an intermediary in talks with other interested parties.
It is also claimed that the option to move to the London stadium is not attractive to Nunes, who is said to have already turned down a move to Wolves this summer.
The midfielder will reportedly only consider a move to a European ‘Shark’ who can offer him Champions League football.
The report claims West Ham would need to up their offer to €40m plus €10m in bonuses, showing Nunez that a move to the club would be a “challenging and undeniable” step in his career.
David Moyes’ side have already spent over £100million this summer, with Gianluca Scamacca, Nayef Aguerd, Maxwel Cornet, Flynn Downes and Alphonse Areola on permanent deals.
And Moyes confirmed both Scamacaa and Cornet are “ready to start” ahead of their clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The West Ham boss insists Forest will present a ‘major challenge’ before hailing the work Steve Cooper did to promote them last season.
“It’s a big challenge. You just have to look at what Fulham did in their first game, what Bournemouth did. Given the choice, you wouldn’t want to play the newly promoted sides in the early games of the season.
“I have a lot of respect for the manager Steve Cooper, he’s done an incredible job to get them into the Premier League and I have to give him huge credit for what they’ve done. I was very impressed with them.”