UK Edition
Marko Arnautovic tells West Ham he wants to move to China for big pay rise as club insist he is 'not for sale'
Marko Arnautovic has told West Ham United he wants to move to China this month – with the club immediately responding by issuing a statement that the striker “is not for sale”.
West Ham have rejected a £35 million bid from a Chinese Super League club, believed to be the champions Shanghai SIPG, for the 29-year-old Austrian international.
Arnautovic’s brother, Danijel, has issued a statement claiming that West Ham bought him for “peanuts” and should let him leave.
“West Ham bought Marko for peanuts. They paid £20 million for him, which is nothing in the current market,” he said.
“They bought him to keep them in the Premier League last season and he did that. He took every award at the club: best player, signing of the season and the player’s award.
“Now West Ham have a fantastic offer. It is close to double what they paid for him. He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles. This is what he wants. It is his great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China.”
The statement, issued to the radio station Talksport, went on: “He knows the West Ham fans love him and he has a special connection with them, but things move on, this is the world of sport, and he hopes they can understand. Marko is professional and is preparing himself for the Arsenal game. He will give 100 per cent for West Ham. That is Marko. He will never change. Until he is no longer a West Ham player, he will give everything to the club. He hopes the fans can respect his wishes.”
Within minutes of the statement being released West Ham responded. “Marko has a contract and we fully expect him to honour it,” a spokesperson said. “He is not for sale.” Club sources said the hierarchy are determined that this is the case. It will be interesting to see how Arnautovic’s camp responds.
West Ham signed Arnautovic for a fee that rises to £25 million – not £20 million, that was the initial payment – from Stoke City in July 2017. He was made West Ham’s highest-earning permanent player – at that time on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart was paid more – and signed a five-year contract which means he still has three years left on his deal after this season.
It is understood that Arnautovic is being offered a substantial pay rise to go to China, possibly as much as double his current salary, and that Shanghai SIPG are the club who have made an offer to sign him. They are the 2018 champions whose squad includes the former Chelsea midfielder Oscar and another former Brazilian international, Hulk. They also have another Brazilian, Elkeson, and would have to move a player on, should Arnautovic sign, as they already fill their allocation of three foreign players.
There is scepticism from China experts that such an offer could be funded but West Ham have taken it seriously and are fully aware of Arnautovic’s determination to leave. However the club are adamant that he will stay, at least until the end of this season, and are braced for the possibility of an improved offer.
West Ham are determined not to have a re-run of the saga that led to Dimitri Payet, a talisman player just like Arnautovic, forcing a move to Marseille in January 2017 which derailed their campaign under Slaven Bilic. Bilic signed Arnautovic as, effectively, Payet’s replacement.
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini, who himself worked in China, coaching Hebei China Fortune, before joining the club last summer, said he was not surprised by the interest in Arnautovic who Jose Mourinho was keen to sign should he have remained as Manchester United manager.
“We know Marko is a very good player so maybe a lot of clubs will want him to play for their team but at the moment he is a West Ham player and we want to keep him,” he said ahead of West Ham’s Premier League fixture at home to Arsenal on Saturday, adding: 'I am sure his head will be in the game against Arsenal and it will not affect his performance. I don't think he will leave.”
It remains to be seen, however, what reception Arnautovic receives from the West Ham fans now that he has expressed his desire to leave.