West Ham could be prepared to lose Felipe Anderson on a free transfer this summer, despite the Brazilian still having 12 months remaining on his current contract with the club according to a report from Tuttomercatoweb.
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The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a return to Lazio in recent weeks (Noi Biancocelesti).
Anderson has been in woeful form over the past 18 months.
He made a fine start to life at West Ham after moving to the London Stadium from Lazio in the summer of 2018 for around £42 million (Reuters).
The Brazilian winger really struggled after the turn of the year midway through the 2019/20 campaign, however.
Anderson was swiftly moved out to Porto on loan last summer. He struggled with the Portuguese giants as well.
West Ham losing Anderson on a free is collateral damage
Tuttomercatoweb claims that the 28-year-old could be set for a return to Lazio this summer.
The Hammers are so desperate to offload the South American that they are allegedly prepared to rip up his contract.
We think that despite the massive financial loss that would represent, moving Anderson on this summer will be absolutely essential.
Anderson wages a big problem
If there aren’t any clubs prepared to pay a fee for his services, it will be vital for the Hammers to get his £85k-a-week wages off the books (Spotrac).
That should enable Moyes to target players of a higher calibre this summer.
Sometimes you have to just accept a loss in order to move forward.
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Anderson just wasn’t suited to the Premier League. It’s time to move on for both the player and West Ham as a football club. Missing out on a transfer fee will be frustrating. But it would be better than keeping him at the London Stadium for another year and splashing out £4.4 million on his wages.