West Ham were hoping to sign Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa during the January transfer window, according to reports in the Italian media.
Calciomercato.com claim that both the Hammers and Juventus were made approaches for the 28-year-old last month.
However, it is believed that Liverpool weren’t willing to sanction Chiesa’s departure without a replacement being brough in first.
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The Italian international, who earns €7.5m a year (roughly £126,000 a week), has been a bit-part player for the Reds since he moved to Anfield just over 18 months ago.
Chiesa’s price tag would have been too high
It is believed that the forward’s valuation is between €15m (£13m) and €20m (£17m), which is not an amount that the Hammers would have been prepared to pay anyway.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was keen on strengthening his options out wide, but the bulk of the club’s transfer funds were spent on two strikers – Gil Vicente’s Pablo Felope and Lazio’s Taty Castellanos – who cost a combined £48m.
West Ham have recruited two other wingers
While a move for Chiesa never appeared to be on the cards, the Irons did eventually add Fulham’s Adama Traore and Deportivo La Guaira’s Keibar Lamadrid to the squad before the transfer deadline on February 2nd.
Both signings were gambles in their own ways, but they were recruited for relatively modest sums. Traore had less than six months left on his contract, and he was a player that Nuno knew well from his time at Wolves. Negotiations were drawn out but a deal was eventually agreed, with £1m being paid up front, and another £1m due in add-ons.
Lamadrid, meanwhile, is a complete unknown, having spent his early career in Venezuela. The 22-year-old was secured on a loan deal until the end of the season, with an option to buy for €1m (£870,000).
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