West Ham United have had a €35m offer for in-form forward Krzysztof Piatek turned down by Genoa, with the Italians holding out for more for their prized asset.
Piatek, who joined Il Grifone just last summer from Cracovia Krakow for €4.5m, has taken Italy by storm thus far, scoring 19 goals in 21 games across competitions. Astonishingly, nine of those goals came in his first seven league games for Genoa.
⚠️ | Genoa, in giornata è arrivata una proposta del West Ham da 35 milioni per #Piatek, ma per il momento è stata respinta ❌
— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) January 15, 2019
(via @AlfredoPedulla)#sportitaliamercato pic.twitter.com/x1LbW0OC9z
This has understandably lent him many admirers all over Europe, with AC Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea and West Ham the most interested. And, according to Alfredo Pedulla of Corriere dello Sport (via SportItalia), it is the Hammers who have struck first, with a €35m (£31m) bid for the Polish international.
However, this was rejected by Piatek's team, with the club holding out for something closer to €45m for their star man.
The Irons are sniffing around strikers ahead of the likely exit of Marko Arnautovic, with the ethereal Austrian set for a big money switch to Shanghai SIPG this month. Arnautovic has scored eight times this season, providing two assists, and has been an integral member of Manuel Pellegrini's starting lineup.
Genoa are not exactly keen on letting the 23-year-old go, but are aware that his €500,000 a year pay package may not satisfy him if he is denied a move in the January window. Milan are currently engaged in negotiations of their own for Piatek, in their hopes to provide a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain, should he up sticks to Chelsea.
However, with Arnautovic likely to leave before Higuian does, the necessity for a successor may push West Ham into concluding a deal before the Rossoneri.
Source: 90min
