West Ham make official approach for Arnaut Danjuma
West Ham made an official approach to sign Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma on Tuesday, 90min understands.
The Hammers have taken a keen interest in the 25-year-old winger, who scored 17 goals in all competitions last season and played a major part in Villarreal getting through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Danjuma has Premier League experience after a two-year stint with Bournemouth, although his success in England came during a single season in the Championship - when 15 goals in 33 appearances helped earn him a €25m move to La Liga.
The Dutchman could be available for around €40m this summer and he has previously attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United. However, sources have confirmed to 90min that West Ham are the club attempting to bring him back to the Premier League, with a deal now being discussed.
Representatives of Danjuma have intimated that a move to London Stadium is of significant interest, where European football will be on offer for a second consecutive season, but there is currently no agreement over personal terms.
Listen now to 90min's Talking Transfers podcast, with Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey, Harry Symeou & Toby Cudworth. On the latest show they discuss Chelsea's interest in Raheem Sterling and Todd Boehly's involvement in transfers, and Manchester United's pursuits of Frenkie de Jong, Lisandro Martinez and Antony. Available on all audio platforms and the 90min YouTube channel.
If you can't see the podcast embed, click here to download the episode in full!
The player did, however, tell 90min in April how special it is to play in the Premier League, and hinted that he'd quickly grasp the opportunity to return if it were presented to him.
“In terms of the Premier League, it’s indescribable," Danjuma said. "The thing I will never forget in the Premier League is the fans. If you just walk into the stadium you cannot replicate the feeling of a Premier League game elsewhere in the world, it’s different.
“So in that regard you are always going to miss a bit of England. If I’m returning one day, I guess that’s up to the way I perform and what the future holds for me.”
West Ham have already completed the signings of central defender Nayef Aguerd and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola this summer, but are prepared to back David Moyes with further signings in a bid to continue the club's recent resurgence.
Regularly challenging the Premier League's top six is on Moyes's agenda, and the club have been exploring deals for Armando Broja, Keane Lewis-Potter, Jesse Lingard, Josh Brownhill and Owen Wijndal among others in a bid to strengthen their squad with quality depth.