According to reports in the Daily Mail, West Ham United have been told that they must pay £22.5m if they want to sign Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Irons boss Slaven Bilic is keen to bring in new attacking players before the start of the new season following a disappointing debut campaign at the London Stadium, and they have already had two offers rejected for Arnautovic, according to the Daily Mail.

The report says that the latest of those was a £20m offer, but the Potters want a deal that breaks the £20m barrier considering that 10% of the fee will go on agent fees and other bonuses, according to the Daily Mail.

Ideally, Mark Hughes would like to keep the 28-year-old having built a side around him last term, but the forward is determined to make the move to London with the Hammers, according to the Daily Mail.

How did Arnautovic do last season?

Despite the fact that Hughes built the side around the Austria international, he certainly didn’t have his best season in a Stoke shirt.

The 28-year-old scored six goals and provided a further five assists in 32 Premier League appearances last term, although five of those goals came in matches against Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull City – the three sides that were relegated to the Championship.

The Irons will certainly be hoping that he makes more of an impact in the bigger games if he does complete a move to the London Stadium.

Would he be a good signing for West Ham?

Considering some of the price tags that have been thrown around this summer, getting an experienced Premier League player like Arnautovic – who has been at this level for four years and is capable of doing something brilliant out of nothing – could be seen as a good deal.

However, he will certainly be expected to show more consistency than he perhaps did last season, when he struggled to be hugely influential for the Potters.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, West Ham have targeted a number of attacking players this summer but Arnautovic seems to be one of the more realistic options and he wants to come to the club.

Having already bid £20m it seems likely that they will be willing to raise that to £22.5m to get the deal done sooner rather than later.

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