West Ham Officially Confirm Marko Arnautovic's Departure to Shanghai SIPG

West Ham have confirmed the news that forward Marko Arnautovic has officially completed his move to Chinese Super League champions Shanghai SIPG for an 'undisclosed fee'.

That fee is understood to be £22.4m, though some outlets have upped it to £23.3m. The Austrian first attempted to push through such a move back in January, even putting in a transfer request, but the club would not be moved and he eventually signed a new contract extension.

However, his evident unhappiness has not subsided and it is understood that, after the club rejected an initial offer of £20m from the CSL side, Manuel Pellegrini made it clear he was keen to sell the player this window in order to cut ties with a destructive presence in the dressing room. 

In their official statement on the departure, the Premier League side said: "West Ham United can confirm that Marko Arnautovic has joined Chinese Super League champions Shanghai SIPG for an undisclosed fee.

"The 30-year-old Austrian departs after two seasons at London Stadium, during which he scored 22 goals in 65 appearances in Claret and Blue."

Despite his inconsistencies, ​Arnautovic was still the club's top scorer last season, and following the loss of both Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez, this leaves Pellegrini with just Javier Hernandez left as a recognised striker.

However, the sale of Arnautovic has freed up further funds in the pursuit of Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez, with the club now expected to secure a £45m deal, after beating out competition from Valencia.