Transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano says the big bid for striker Darwin Nunez was real but West Ham have shot themselves in the foot.
West Ham fans have been left fuming by the club’s lack of transfer activity in the January window.
Influential West Ham fan group Hammers United slammed the board for the lack of signings yesterday.
David Moyes made it clear he was looking to bring a new striker to West Ham after two years of trying without success.
But the window came and went with no new arrivals. That’s despite there being clear gaps in the West Ham squad and supporters and pundits being unanimous in agreement that this season could represent the club’s best chance of success for a generation.
Now Moyes will have to rely once again on Michail Antonio up front. That’s despite the striker’s well documented injury history, the fact he has been very much out of form since October.
Indeed Moyes conceded he cannot risk playing the forward in matches that are too close together and says he has to carefully manage his workload.
West Ham were linked with late window moves for strikers Hugo Ekitike, Darwin Nunez and Duvan Zapata.
Reports claim West Ham submitted a club record £60m bid for Benfica star Nunez on deadline day. Angry supporters have questioned why they left it so late to try and get deals done.
Pundits such as Simon Jordan and former Hammer Dean Ashton have accused West Ham of ‘phantom bids and faux ambition’.
Now transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano insists the big bid for Nunez was real – albeit £20m less than reported.
But Romano says West Ham have shot themselves in the foot by leaving it late and alerting other clubs for the summer.
“West Ham were seriously interested in Darwin Nunez,” Romano claims on Twitter.
“Benfica turned down Hammers bid around €48m (£40m) and wanted to keep Darwin at the club at all costs.
“Nunez will be one of the key names on the market in the summer as many clubs are already keeping tabs on him.”