West Ham‘s attempts to sign Armando Broja from Chelsea this summer have taken a slight twist, according to the Daily Mail.
Last week it was being reported that the Hammers had tabled a £30m bid for the Albanian striker, which included a £25m upfront payment.
However, Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has since gone public to insist he has no interest in allowing the 20-year-old to leave before he can get a good look at him during the course of pre-season.
That has led to a small twist in the terms of a potential deal to bring Broja to east London before the end of the summer transfer window.
The Daily Mail are now claiming a season-long loan deal is on the cards, with a potential option to buy at the end of the season should the striker impress David Moyes over the course of the 22/23 campaign.
It’s reported that West Ham accept Chelsea’s stance on the player and are willing to settle for a ‘try before you buy’ type deal instead.
Broja wants regular first-team football this season, which is something he is currently unlikely going to get if he remains at Stamford Bridge. However, Chelsea clearly see value in their striker and this decision could be seen as Chelsea’s attempts to increase his value further before allowing him to leave permanently in a year’s time.
From West Ham’s point of view, this could turn out to be a much more favourable deal. It could free up at least £25m of transfer funds to reinvest elsewhere in the squad, as David Moyes seeks to add squad depth across several positions.
With bids also reportedly in for Lille midfielder Amadou Onana and Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca, securing a loan deal for Broja instead may give the Hammers far more flexibility in the market should tough negotiations lake place for other targets.
