Sometimes it pays to keep your powder dry in negotiations and the wisdom of [West Ham United](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-sell-to-buy-policy-causing-major-transfer-headache/) making it clear to everyone and anyone that they needed to sell before buying may very well backfire on them this summer.
If you have no cash to splash it is sometimes best keeping that fact to yourself when you’re trying to sell prized possessions lest buyers get to hear of your urgency and use it as leverage to bring down sale prices.
Which is exactly what seems to be happening with the sales of key Hammers this June. When sites like [_givemesport.com_](https://www.givemesport.com/exclusive-west-ham-encouraging-offers-for-exceptional-30m-star/) run articles just today subheaded:
_“Juventus Likely to Low-Ball West Ham” and “WestHam encouraging offers for Aguerd”_ then its is pretty clear the policy has failed.
Probably it was designed as a strategy of subterfuge for when the club wants to buy – and pleading poverty before making offers is straight-out of the David Sullivan playbook – but in this instance as far as any interest in Kudus, Aguerd, Soucek, Rodriguez or Alvarez- the offers are conspicuous by their absence.
So the Hammers have to sell players into a market where everyone knows they’re desperate for cash, and they will have to take what’s on offer.
This certainly won’t amount to £20 million for Aguerd – or face dragging a ‘wantaway’ back for pre-season when he’s clearly stated he doesn’t want to come. As givemesport.com put it:
_“Juventus are aware of this and sense that their need for cash means they could make their interest more concrete with a low-ball offer. Sources in Italy suggest that they would not expect to go any higher than €15m (£12.8m) for Aguerd, which is some way off what West Ham are asking fo_r.”
Sounds like chickens coming home to roost at London Stadium.