According to a report from Ghana Soccer Net, West Ham wanted to sign Josip Ilicic from Fiorentina in the summer of 2016.
The then Hammers boss Slaven Bilic was allegedly a huge fan of the 60-capped Slovenia international.
West Ham eventually missed out on the 32-year-old, however. Ilicic ended up joining Serie A outfit Atalanta in the summer of 2017 for around £4.8 million (Football Italia).
Ghana Soccer Net claimed that the Hammers would have had to pay around £13 million to sign the versatile ace three-and-a-half years ago.
Ilicic is a central midfielder by trade, but he can also play in more advanced roles.
Last night, he started up front for Atalanta in their Champions League last 16 tie against Valencia at La Mestalla.
And the Slovenian scored four goals against the La Liga side. In doing so, he became the oldest player ever to score at least four in Europe’s premier competition (Daily Mail).
It really is a quite remarkable achievement for Ilicic.
The 32-year-old has actually been in superb form this season, operating mostly up front. He has racked up 21 goals and nine assists in 29 games for Atalanta thus far (Transfermarkt).
Who knows. Perhaps Ilicic would have struggled in the Premier League with West Ham. But he certainly proved last night what he is capable of.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
