MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 11:20:53| >> :60:3073:3073:

Arnautovic 'is not for sale' – West Ham stand firm after £35m bid from China

The Austrian's brother and representative says the forward wants to leave to 'challenge for titles'.

West Ham have insisted Marko Arnautovic is not for sale after his agent claimed the Austrian forward wants to move to China.

A Chinese Super League club, believed to be champions Shanghai SiPG, are understood to have launched a £35million swoop for Arnautovic, the Hammers' top scorer.

The club will attempt to lure Arnautovic, who turns 30 in April, with wages understood to be £200,000 a week over a four-year contract.

Arnautovic's brother Danijel, who also acts as his representative, revealed that the player wants to leave and urged West Ham to sell.

But a Hammers spokesperson said: "Marko has a contract and we fully expect him to honour it. He is not for sale."

Manager Manuel Pellegrini had earlier said he was determined to keep Arnautovic, who has scored eight goals this season, including three in his last two matches.

But Danijel Arnautovic, who has agitated for a move for his brother before, issued a statement to talkSPORT in which he claimed the striker has a "great desire" to go to China.

"West Ham bought Marko for peanuts," the statement read. "They paid £20million for him, which is nothing in the current market.

"They bought him to keep them in the Premier League last season and he did that. He took every award at the club; best player, signing of the season and the players' award.

"Now West Ham have a fantastic offer. It is close to double what they paid for him.

Marko Arnautovic was taken off after only 20 minutes against Birmingham (Steven Paston/PA).
Marko Arnautovic was taken off after only 20 minutes against Birmingham (Steven Paston/PA).

"He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles. This is what he wants.

"It is his great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China.

"He knows the West Ham fans love him and he has a special connection with them, but things move on, this is the world of sport and he hopes they can understand.

"Until he is no longer a West Ham player, he will give everything to the club. He hopes the fans can respect his wishes."

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini (Chris Radburn/PA).
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini is determined to keep hold of Arnautovic (Chris Radburn/PA).

Pellegrini, who substituted Arnautovic against his will after only 20 minutes in Saturday's FA Cup win over Birmingham, had earlier shrugged off the speculation.

"Those are all rumours," Pellegrini said. "We know that we have a very good player in Marko, a lot of clubs may want him to play for them.

"I don't want to talk about things that might happen. Marko in this moment is a player of our team. Players of his quality and other players like Declan Rice, Felipe Anderson, other clubs will want them, but that is one thing. I don't think they will go.

"I want to keep him, of course, but you never know what might happen in the future."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Andy Sims and Nick Mashiter, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'abbeec7d-ca6b-4151-b106-01d7e8264cc1');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Arnautovic \u2018is not for sale\u2019 \u2013 West Ham stand firm after \xA335m bid from China'});

ID:346467: cacheID:346467:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9256:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A general view inside Molineux, the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers, in January 2018
Read Next:
Wolves looking to sign Chinese winger?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!