As audaciously claimed by El Desmarque, West Ham are apparently preparing to trigger the £45 million release clause of exciting young Uruguayan striker Maxi Gomez.
The Celta Vigo striker is hot property after impressing in La Liga last season, where he scored 18 goals in 36 games.
The burly 21-year-old did well enough to warrant a call up to Oscar Tabarez’s World Cup squad. He played a bit-part role in Russia, with Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez the main men, of course.
Gomez’s rapid rise and quality at such a young age has seen him be compared to the Barcelona striker, and it looks as though he may take over the former Liverpool man’s mantle at international level in a few years.
West Ham were first linked to Gomez last week when they apparently bid £27 million according to the Evening Standard, but there has been very little in the UK press since then. Something which appears much more likely to happen in the next 48 hours is the transfer of Arsenal forward Lucas Perez (BBC Sport), who would come much cheaper than Gomez.
It is perhaps that notion which is stopping Hammers fans from getting too carried away, and some took to Twitter to take the reports from abroad with a pinch of salt to say the least.
The move certainly seems very unlikely, especially given how much money West Ham have already spent so far this summer.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
