Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
West Ham have second bid turned down by Stoke for wantaway winger Marko Arnautovic
WEST HAM have reportedly had a second bid turned down by Stoke for winger Marko Arnautovic.
West Ham make second bid for Stoke winger Marko Arnautovic
Express Sport understands Arnautovic has handed in a transfer request at Stoke, with the Austrian frustrated with the club's lack of ambition.
Despite his desire to leave the bet365 Stadium, Stoke turned down West Ham's initial offer for Arnautovic.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is keen to land the 28-year-old as he looks to improve on last season's disappointing 11th-place finish in the Premier League.
But the Hammers failed in their opening bid to bring the winger to the London Stadium, believed to be worth around £15million.
Marko Arnautovic has handed in a transfer request at Stoke
West Ham make second bid for Stoke winger Marko Arnautovic
Sky Sports claim West Ham have today returned with a £20m bid - closer to Stoke's valuation - but that has also been rejected.
Arnautovic has become one of Stoke's most valuable player since joining from Werder Bremen in 2013, scoring 26 goals and providing 32 assists in his 145 appearances.
And Stoke manager Mark Hughes insists the club will not be backed into a corner following Arnautovic's written transfer request.
Slaven Bilic wants Marko Arnautovic at West Ham
“Ultimately we have the final say,” he said. “Players can express an opinion in terms of where they see their future.
"But at the end of the day contracted players are contracted to the club and ultimately we have the final say. We’ve never put him up for sale.
"We’ve never said he’s for sale. There has been a bid, but bids have to be reasonable and that one wasn’t.”