West Ham attempted to sign Giovani Simeone (Transfermarkt), but were knocked back by Cagliari, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
“They were trying for a lot of strikers, and Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri was their main option, but it was a no,” the Sky Sports journalist revealed on the Here we go podcast.
“But another option, a possibility for West Ham was Giovanni Simeone, son of Diego Simeone. He plays for Cagliari, but he is not having a good season. There was a possibility, West Ham were offering a loan with an option to buy, and they offered €1 million as loan fee, but Cagliari said no just because he is their starter.
“They said no to a loan and wanted an obligation to buy, but West Ham said no and it collapsed, but he was one of the possibilities for West Ham.”
It was no secret that the Hammers were eyeing a new striker last month. They sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax, leaving them with only Michail Antonio as a recognized striker in the squad.
The Cagliari forward is the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone, and he was prolific during his spell with Fiorentina, as he scored 20 league goals in 74 games.
He move to Serie A last summer on an initial loan deal and things have not gone according to plan, as he has managed just five goals in 16 appearances.
It is easy to see why West Ham didn’t take a risk and sign Simeone. He is struggling to score regularly and is also untested in England.
