West Ham United are said to be on the verge of signing Spain international Pablo Fornals.
Sky Sports claims West Ham are close to signing the Villarreal playmaker for £25million.
The report states the La Liga side want £31m for the 23-year-old, who scored just five goals and provided three assists in all competitions as Villareal struggled last season.
Pablo Fornals and the Pellegrini connection
West Ham move would represent a change of heart
Cadena Ser claimed then that Fornals was reluctant to leave Spain to join West Ham.
The Yellow Submarine have always been open to the idea of selling him for the right price.
But dig deeper and it – rather refreshingly – appears Fornals is simply a player with principles.
A player with principles
The talented Spanish central midfielder went on to explain his reasons.
He was adamant he did not want to ‘abandon his team in the situation in which it is currently’, according to Cadena Ser, as also reported by Football Espanaat the time.
Some West Ham fans may be concerned about Fornals’s relatively poor stats last season.
But he was playing in a struggling side suffering from a lack of investment.
What must be noted is that his performances during the 2017/18 season helped lead Villareal to a top five finish in La Liga.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
