West Ham target Samuel Omorodion has shared that he will be changing his agent, expressing his enthusiasm for the future ahead.
Having spent the last season on loan at Alaves from Atletico Madrid, the 20-year-old striker attracted a bid from West Ham valued at €29 million (£24.7m) plus €10 million (£8.5m) in add-ons. However, the offer was declined as confirmed by Marcos Duran on June 4th.
Atletico Madrid, who acquired Omorodion at the beginning of the previous season, is holding out for a direct payment offer of €40 million (£34m).
In a recent statement relayed by Fabrizio Romano on June 14th, the Spanish striker stated, “I have made a significant decision: I parted ways with my agent on May 29 due to differing perspectives”.
“Moving forward, my career will be managed by an individual close to my family. I am eager to see what lies ahead!”.
Despite having only one season of top-flight senior football experience, Omorodion’s impressive nine La Liga goals last season with Granada and Alaves have drawn significant attention.
Roma is also showing interest in the Under-21 international and is considering selling Tammy Abraham, who is a target for West Ham, to facilitate the move [Corriere dello Sport, June 14th].
A change in representation typically sparks speculations about a potential transfer. However, it remains unclear if the “differing perspectives” leading to the agent switch are related to his transfer circumstances.
West Ham is currently the only club to have tabled a concrete offer for Omorodion. If the club is serious about securing his services, they might need to act swiftly as their competitors seem to be lagging behind, similar to the situation with the pursuit of Abraham.
It is evident that Julen Lopetegui is in need of reinforcement in the striker position, irrespective of Michail Antonio’s future at the club, given that Danny Ings has struggled to fulfill the goalscoring requirements with limited support.
With Omorodion potentially on the verge of a transfer, now might be the opportune moment to present an improved offer if Tim Steidten and the new management believe he is the right candidate to lead the forward line into a new chapter.
In other West Ham news, reports suggest that a successful club could be open to selling a player to the Hammers this summer.