West Ham is demonstrating a newfound astuteness in the transfer market with an intelligent £30 million swap bid aimed at outmaneuvering Liverpool in the pursuit of Dutch talent Perr Schuurs, relays the HammerNews.
According to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, West Ham has expressed their interest in signing Schuurs, a player who has also captured Liverpool’s attention. The Hammers have emerged as competitors to Liverpool in their pursuit of the Torino defender, who enjoyed a successful debut season in Serie A after moving from Ajax. Earlier this week, Tuttosport reported that Jurgen Klopp desires Schuurs at Liverpool for the upcoming season; however, their £23 million bid was reportedly rejected.
In recent days, West Ham has been strongly linked with Schuurs, with reliable Italian transfer reporter Gianluca Di Marzio suggesting that the club may make contact with the player to gauge his willingness to join. Typically, when Liverpool and West Ham engage in a transfer battle, the outcome is predictable. However, with the appointment of Tim Steidten as West Ham’s new technical director, the London club appears to be making savvy moves in the transfer market. Steidten, who was also a target for Liverpool, now holds overarching responsibility for recruitment and transfers at the London Stadium.
West Ham’s bid to secure Schuurs involves utilizing Nikola Vlasic as a bargaining chip. Torino is reportedly eager to sign Vlasic on a permanent basis after his successful season-long loan spell with the club. West Ham, under Steidten’s guidance, plans to offer Vlasic plus £17 million in exchange for Schuurs, a move that could potentially give them an advantage over Liverpool. Reports suggest that this proposal might be sufficient to strike a deal, with Vlasic valued at approximately £13 million, resulting in a combined value of £30 million.
It is even reported that Torino has identified a potential replacement, further hinting at the possibility of West Ham’s bid being successful.
Report by Football Italia states: “Torino have already been in contact with the Hammers to try and set up a new deal for the Croatian forward and his inclusion in the negotiations for Schuurs could prove decisive,”
“West Ham would also be willing to pay €20m (£17m) as well, a deal which may be enough to convince the Granata to give up on the Dutchman.
“Should Schuurs leave, Torino would look to replace him with Rodrigo Becao, who only has a year left on his contract with Udinese.”