West Ham United are reportedly preparing a new offer to convince Club Brugge to sell Hans Vanaken, who is keen on moving to the London Stadium.
According a report by Het Nieuwsblad, West Ham United are increasingly confident they can get a deal over the line for Hans Vanaken, who is ‘more open than ever’ to a Premier League move. The Hammers are currently preparing a second offer after their opening offer of around €10 million for the 29-year-old Belgian international was knocked back and deemed too low by Club Brugge.
The €10 million bid falls well short of Club Brugge’s valuation of Vanaken, who is contracted to the club until 2025. The report also adds that Brugge consider Vanaken’s departure ‘not negotiable’ in this window, as he is a key part of their style of play. But this can change rapidly should West Ham table a better offer.
The 29-year-old Belgian international himself is said to be open to the idea since he views this as his last opportunity for a move to a top European league and is keen on moving to the London Stadium.
West Ham have had a proactive transfer window this summer, having secured eye-catching deals for Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola, Flynn Downes, Maxwel Cornet, and Gianluca Scamacca. But they have also missed out on key targets such as Matheus Nunes and Jesse Lingard. And it looks set to be a busy few weeks before the summer window slams shut.
The Hammers are also pushing to tie up deals for Paris Saint-Germain defender Thilo Kehrer and Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri. West Ham are also in direct talks with the Belgian club Club Brugge over a deal to sign their captain, Hans Vanaken, and are confident of agreeing on a fee in the coming weeks.
The 29-year-old has spent most of his professional career playing in his homeland and boasts an impressive attacking output in Belgium’s top flight, especially ever since his 2015 move from KSC Lokeren to Club Brugge. Vanaken has been a consistent source of attacking threat for the Belgian champions.
The Belgian international has scored 102 goals and registered 73 assists from 344 outings, averaging a direct goal contribution every 163 minutes of football action. Last season, Vanaken contributed with nine goals and nine assists in the Jupiler Pro League. So, it is no wonder why West Ham are desperate to secure his services, even though he will turn 30 years old later this month.
His age profile would make him a strange signing for David Moyes, who has preferred to target younger players in recent times. But the West Ham boss is also keen to bolster the midfield department with experience after the departure of Mark Noble, while there are some contract negotiation tensions brewing between the club and midfielder Tomas Soucek.
To that end, Vanaken would be a good fit for an area of the pitch in which West Ham have been lacking quality depth for some time. His wealth of top-level European experience with Club Brugge and the Belgian national team could come in handy to enable Moyes’s side to compete on multiple fronts.