West Ham’s prolonged Gomez interest raises questions over Arnautovic’s extension

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West Ham are in hot pursuit of Celta Vigo hitman Maxi Gomez before the transfer window closes, according to TeamTalk.

They report that Manuel Pellegrini is keen on a deal in the region of £35m for Gomez, ideally in the form of an initial loan with an option to buy thereafter.

The Spanish outfit apparently want the money up front, aware that Gomez is one of the hottest young strikers in Europe right now, but West Ham remain keen.

That is despite their talismanic striker Marko Arnautovic signing a contract extension over the weekend, announced in the immediate aftermath of the club’s embarrasing 4-2 defeat against AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup fourth round.

That looked like a clear plot to appease the fans, and the Times report that Arnautovic is still available in the summer if a club matches West Ham’s valuation of the Austrian.

The Hammers’ intense pursuit of a big-money deal for Gomez indicates that Arnautovic’s longer-term future lies away from the London Stadium.

It is little surprise that a loan-to-buy deal is West Ham’s preferred setup; it would allow them to pre-emptively replace Arnautovic, with the commitment to spend big to land Gomez once they’ve got the cash in from selling the former Stoke man in the summer.