West Ham feel so let down by Marko Arnautovic renewing his attempts to force a transfer to China that they will consider honouring an expired clause in the striker’s contract that would allow him to leave for £40m this summer.
Arnautovic has told West Ham of his desire to move on after they rejected a £19m bid for the Austrian from an unnamed Chinese Super League club on Tuesday. The London Stadium club consider that offer insulting and, in the absence of an acceptable bid, have told the Austrian they expect him to honour the contract extension he signed in January.
The 30-year-old agreed that deal only after West Ham refused to grant him a move to a club in China, thought to be Guangzhou Evergrande, where he was offered a four-year contract worth more than £40m. At the time he said he signed it “to put a stop” to the speculation over his future.
The new agreement included a pay-rise, with Arnautovic’s wages of £120,000 a week making him the squad’s second highest earner, and in a gesture of goodwill West Ham agreed to insert an annual £40m buyout clause in it.
However it is understood that anyone hoping to sign Arnautovic must activate the clause by 14 June, giving West Ham enough time to find a replacement for the former Stoke City striker, who moved to east London for an initial £20m two years ago. It is not in West Ham’s interest to lose Arnautovic, who has scored 11 goals in each of the last two seasons, towards the end of the summer transfer window.
Yet there is a growing feeling that Arnautovic’s behaviour is causing too much disruption off the pitch and although the deadline for the clause to be valid has passed West Ham have indicated they could agree to honour it if they receive a bid of £40m. While West Ham have yet to receive an official transfer request from Arnuatovic, the challenge of keeping him happy is having a draining effect.
Arnautovic’s brother and agent Danijel has a fractious relationship with West Ham, who view him as a troublesome character, and his latest comments on a long-running saga carried a provocative edge. “He’s not a cow or a horse which you bring to market,” Danijel said last night. “He’s a highly talented footballer who is simply being used by West Ham. He’s just a number to them. West Ham were trying to get rid of Marko right up until the last minute of the January transfer window and they are still trying to sell him right now. To them he’s just a commodity.”
Much will depend on whether Manuel Pellegrini has enough time to recruit a new forward. West Ham have targeted Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gómez, Porto’s Moussa Marega and West Bromwich Albion’s Salomón Rondón. Having released Andy Carroll on a free transfer and sold Lucas Perez to Alaves, West Ham are short of options up front and will force Arnautovic to stay if they are unable to replace him.