Roma have signalled the starting pistol in the race to sign Crysencio Summerville by making an official offer for the West Ham winger, according to reports.
Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claim that the Giallorossi have tabled a proposal in the region of €40m (£34m) for the Netherlands international.
At the time of writing, the Serie A club have not received a response from the Hammers, but it’s unlikely to be accepted.
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The offer falls well short of the London club’s reported £50m asking price.
Summerville’s agents have held talks with Roma
The Dutchman is represented by the agency that also manages centre-back Danilho Doekhi, who has recently completed a free transfer to Lazio.
While in Rome, it is believed that the same representatives had a meeting with Roma about Summerville.
Personal terms were discussed with sporting director Tony D’Amico, and an outline agreement was reached, which means the winger could stand to earn €4.5m a year. That works out at around £73,500 a week. His current salary is said to be £45,000 a week, so he would be getting a substantial pay rise if his move to Italy goes ahead.
West Ham will be anticipating other bids
Roma are by no means the only team keen on snapping up Summerville, with Manchester United and Chelsea both having been credited with an interest in the 24-year-old.
United may only make a move if they sell Marcus Rashford, so it is uncertain how they will respond to Roma’s approach for one of their top forward targets.
The Irons will, of course, be hoping for a bidding war, similar to the one that led to Tottenham paying £85m for Mateus Fernandes. It remains to be seen, though, whether any team will pay £50m for Summerville.
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