An ex Chelsea star West Ham tried to sign on D-day will now be a free agent as Ola Aina situation works out perfectly.
West Ham fans will remember the name Ola Aina after the Hammers launched a deadline day move to sign him in the last summer transfer window.
He will already be a distant memory at Chelsea given the huge turnover of players at Stamford Bridge in the last few seasons.
With Vladimir Coufal struggling at the time, Ben Johnson failing to step up and Harrison Ashby set for a move to Newcastle, West Ham tried to sign Aina from Torino.
David Moyes saw an initial bid for the former Chelsea and Fulham full-back rejected by the Italian side.
Ex Chelsea star West Ham tried to sign on D-day is now a free agent as Ola Aina situation works out perfectly
It was believed to have been worth a total of nearly £7m with €4million (£3.4m) up front plus a further €4m in add-ons.
West Ham’s bid was rejected as was a further move at the 11th hour and Aina remained at Torino where he was joined by Hammers loan star Nikola Vlasic.
But the ex Chelsea star West Ham tried to sign on D-day will now be a free agent as Aina situation works out perfectly.
According to Calciomercato, Aina has informed Torino that he will not extend his contract which expires at the end of June.
The 26-year-old initially arrived at Torino on a season-loan loan deal in 2018 before the transfer was made permanent the following season.
Hammers target Aina tipped for Prem return after Chelsea and Fulham stints
He went on to score two goals and lay on seven assists across 110 appearances in all competitions.
Aina only played 10 games in Serie A this season due to a series of muscle injuries.
The report claims the West Ham target is expected to return to the Premier League on a free transfer.
And it points out that the Nigeria international is an attractive option for clubs as the London-born star counts towards the homegrown player quota as he came through Chelsea’s academy.
West Ham must bring in another right-back to help Coufal
The man West Ham wanted last September only made three senior appearances for Chelsea in the end.
But that in itself is some achievement given the vast depth and quality in the Blues squad during his spell emerging there.
Fulham fans remember Aina fondly for his swashbuckling performances.
It seems it would represent some shrewd business for West Ham who simply must upgrade on Johnson and have competition for Coufal – particularly with another season of Europa League football.
If the Hammers do renew their interest they could be saving themselves over £7m in the process.
And they haven’t missed much as Aina has spent much of the season out injured. Although that in itself will be an obvious concern.
MORE WEST HAM NEWS
Carragher’s brilliant message to West Ham puts haters in their place.
European medal on its way to hero in the post.
Gent send truly classy message to West Ham after European glory.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
