According to a report from the Guardian, West Ham still want to sign Middlesbrough goalkeeper Darren Randolph, but the Teesside outfit’s valuation of the 32-year-old is proving to be a stumbling block.
Randolph left the Hammers for Boro in the summer of 2017 for a fee believed to be worth £5 million, according to BBC Sport.
And the experienced 42-capped Republic of Ireland international has impressed at the Riverside. He is widely considered to be one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Championship.
He has kept 39 clean sheets in 112 appearances for Middlesbrough. And he would undoubtedly be a useful addition for West Ham.
The Guardian claims that the Hammers are prepared to pay around £3 million for Randolph, but Middlesbrough want closer to £5 million.
The good news is that the two respective valuations are so close together that common ground can surely be reached.
Even if West Ham have to pay £5 million for the Irishman, it would still be decent value for money for them.
One thing’s for sure, Randolph would be a better back-up for Lukasz Fabianski than either Roberto or David Martin.
And the Hammers might just have to up their offer if they want to bring him back to the London Stadium.
Middlesbrough obviously want to squeeze every last penny out of the east London outfit. And quite rightly so.
Whether the West Ham board will be prepared to pay £5 million for Randolph, however, remains to be seen.
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