West Ham United are reportedly closing in on the capture of Villarreal and Netherlands forward Arnaut Danjuma in a deal worth €40 million.
According to Fichajes, West Ham United are inching closer to completing the signing of Dutch attacker Arnaut Danjuma from La Liga outfit Villarreal in the ongoing transfer window.
Danjuma moved to Villarreal only last year from English side AFC Bournemouth in a deal worth around €23 million. The 25-year-old enjoyed a brilliant debut campaign in Spain as he finished the 2021/22 campaign with a return of 16 goals and four assists from 34 matches across all competitions, helping the Yellow Submarine make it to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
A left-sided winger, Danjuma was used as a centre-forward by Unai Emery at Villarreal for a big chunk of the campaign and the Dutch ace excelled in the role, causing problems to the opposition defence with his speed, movement and marksmanship. And just a year after arriving in Spain, the 25-year-old could be on his way back to England.
Danjuma had been attracting the interest of Liverpool, but the Reds have signed Darwin Nunez and are unlikely to pursue the Netherlands international. Instead, it is West Ham United who have emerged as the frontrunners to capture the services of Danjuma from Villarreal.
West Ham United have been on the lookout for attacking players to add to their roster to address their overreliance on the star duo of Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen in the final third. Danjuma, to that end, has the potential to be an excellent addition to the squad due to his versatile nature and proven pedigree.
Not only can the Netherlands star become the first-choice option on the left flank for West Ham United, but he could also provide cover to Antonio in the centre-forward role as and when needed. Talks over a move have been ongoing with Villarreal for some time now and it is now being claimed that an agreement is close.
Although it was insisted that West Ham might have to pay €45 million for Danjuma, the aforementioned report states that the Hammers and the Yellow Submarine are closing in on a deal which could cost the Premier League club around €40 million in transfer fees. The player, for his part, is keen on making the switch and is reportedly pushing Villarreal to accept the offer from David Moyes’ side.
As things stand, an agreement between the two clubs is on the verge of completion. However, Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Danjuma and West Ham are still some way apart in negotiations over personal terms, which could delay the switch.
