Daily WHUFC News - 19th May 2016

Academy of Football's Akinola turns pro
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce highly rated defender Olatunji Akinola has signed a professional contract with the club. The 17-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most promising players coming through the ranks at the prestigious Academy of Football. Having signed a three year contract, a delighted Akinola said: "It's a great feeling for me and my family, a very proud day. Its feels great that the club have shown faith in me to give me another three years to help develop myself as a footballer. "I've been here since I was eight so it's been nine years of hard work. But I'm playing football for a top Premier League academy so I'm definitely enjoying it as well."

This season, Akinola established himself as a regular in the U18 side which qualified for the elite group of the Play Offs. Making 21 starts, he also scored twice, in what has been another year of steady progress for the youngster. He continued: "I have known for a while know but my instant reaction was pleasantly surprised. It's a big thing as all my family are football fans as well so we were all celebrating when we found out. "I feel this has been a strong season for me particularly. I have put in some solid performances in the 18's and worked to get some opportunities in the U21s which I just want to carry on next season. "Ending the season with some successful tours is also nice; getting to the final in Zurich and Holland."

Having got another successful year under his belt, the ball-playing centre-back is currently in Hong Kong preparing for the Soccer Sevens tournament. Now with at least three more years to look forward to, Akinola is daring to dream big: "Making my first team debut at the new stadium would be a beautiful moment and nice reward for the work I have put in. "That would be the beginning of many hopes and dreams I plan to achieve with West Ham. The club is going forwards and i want to go forwards with all the Hammers fans! "The club is really on the up right now with the new stadium, new exciting players and potential Europa League football. It's great for us youngsters to be surrounded by this as it gives us motivation to go on and succeed at this great club."

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The Insider
WHUFC.com

The Insider brings you exclusive insight into the behind-the-scenes goings on at West Ham United...

The Premier League season has only just finished but the speculation has now intensified over which new signings will be arriving at West Ham United. I, The Insider will be breaking news throughout the summer and giving you the very latest updates on which players are heading in and out of the Club. There have been a lot of rumours surrounding a possible move for Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette. My sources have told me that a £31million offer has been made for the prolific forward but the French club turned it down and the Club will now move on. It is my understanding that the Club have made £20million bids for UK based players this week and they hope to sign the first of two strikers in the next few weeks. It has been made clear to me that fans should not be concerned if bids are being turned down. The Premier League season has only just finished and these things happen early on in the transfer window. I have been told that the Club are determined to get value for money and could bid for a number of players as they look to buy three or four key players. Fans should be excited by the plans that the Board have this summer and should stay tuned to whufc.com for all the latest news. There has also been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of talented youngster Reece Oxford. It is my understanding that Oxford has a contract until 2018 and cannot sign a longer term deal until he is 18. Negotiations are still ongoing and he has not turned down any offers.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United

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Ogbonna - It's been a great season
WHUFC.com

Angelo Ogbonna says his first season in England could hardly have gone better – even if he was left to reflect on a frustrating final day defeat at Stoke City on Sunday. The 27-year-old defender was a summer 2015 arrival from Juventus and established himself as a regular starter for Slaven Bilic's side – playing in 27 Barclays Premier League games. He scored a dramatic winner in the FA Cup tie with Liverpool and is targeting more success – and hopefully European football – in 2016/17. He said: "Sunday's result was really disappointing for us, but it was still a fantastic season. We will have to focus on the new season now, and we have to start really well – like we did this season. "We deserved to win the game against Stoke, but the season is finished and we will look forward to next year and enjoy it. "First we will be concentrating on the television on Saturday, so hopefully we can be lucky and go to Europe! "I'm really happy with my first season in England. I'm really happy because I scored against Liverpool and that was an amazing moment for us. "We have to be proud about this season and maybe next season we can do better!"
Ogbonna's season isn't over yet – he has linked up with Italy for a training camp ahead of Euro 2016 and is hoping to make the final cut.
He added: "I'm still hoping [to be called up]. Maybe I will have a chance to go to the Euros, but it doesn't depend on me – it's the manager's decision."

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Cresswell - It was a great team performance
WHUFC.com

Aaron Cresswell played his part in another memorable campaign for West Ham United as they secured their highest Premier League finish since 2002.
Cresswell has enjoyed a number of memorable moments but feels one of the standout memories was the 3-2 victory over Everton back in March.
The 26-year-old will never forget the impressive comeback after his side were trailing by two goals but showed their fighting qualities to score three goals in the second half and come away with all three points. Cresswell played his part in the winning goal when his pin-point cross picked out Andy Carroll who headed the ball into Diafra Sakho and his clever flick fell to Dimitri Payet who made no mistake striking the ball into the corner of the net. The result was one of many famous victories on the road this season, but it was voted the best team performance at the end of season Player Awards and Cresswell feels it showed the amazing team spirit they have in the squad. Cresswell said: "We were delighted to pick up the award. We were obviously 2-0 down and we needed the three points at the time. "It is never easy going to Goodison Park and when we went two goals down it was made even harder but I remember Nobes putting the ball in for Antonio to get us back in the game and then Sakho scored the equaliser. "I then played the ball into Andy who had been shouting to put a few diagonal balls into him in the final few minutes and he has flicked it into Dimi who scored the winner and there is no better feeling that doing that in the final minute. "In the Premier League it is not easy to go two goals behind, especially at Goodison Park with the crowd. It was a great result for us and won us the Performance of the Season."

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Ladies game update
WHUFC.com

The proposed game between West Ham Ladies and a West Ham 'All Stars' team scheduled for Sunday June 5 has been cancelled.

The Club has taken the decision to call off the match in response to direct comments from supporters, a poll conducted on the official website and fan feedback on social media.

West Ham Ladies played under the lights at the Boleyn Ground back in March when they faced Tottenham Ladies and dialogue remains open between West Ham Ladies and the Club with regards to the hosting of future fixtures.

West Ham Ladies Joint-Chairman Stephen Hunt said: "Obviously the Ladies are disappointed but myself and Jack Sullivan will get together over the summer to see what else we can do in the future."

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Battle of wits to determine Lacazette future
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th May 2016
By: Staff Writer

The club says it's off, his representative says it's still on. So where exactly does that leave Alexandre Lacazette? Possibly on the way to Paris St Germain, according to trusted outlet L'Equipe this afternoon - who r\n with a story linking the Ligue 1 champions with a move for the keenly-sought 24-year-old striker, who they see as the ideal replacement for the outgoing Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However what is in no doubt is that West Ham saw a bid - varying from £23million to £31million, depending on your source of choice - rejected by Lyon yesterday, following months of speculation linking Lacazette with a move to the Olympix Stadium.

News of the bid being rejected by Lyon was swiftly followed up by claims from within West Ham - or to be more precise, Jason Burt and the resurgent 'Club Insider' via West Ham's own website - insisting that the deal was dead.

But "nonsense!" cried FIFA-registered agent Vincent Rodríguez, who denied that the deal was off, claiming instead that the transfer had reached a stalemate over the terms of payment, rather than the fee itself.

Vincent Rodríguez ‎@VRodriguezlaw
It is the payment structure that has been rejected not the amount as such. #Facts https://twitter.com/skysportsnewshq/status/732662515176484867 … 9:43 PM - 17 May 2016

Ensuring that he cannot be accused of sticking all his eggs in one basket, co-owner David Sullivan is busy chasing several potential deals with view to landing at least one or two deals before the squad returns for pre-season in early July.

Christian Benteke, Gohkan Tore, Callum Wilson and Marseille's Michy Batshuayi are all on the club's list of attacking targets as West Ham seek to
re-build a squad inherited last summer by Slaven Bilic.

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Young agent seeking London club
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th May 2016
By: Staff Writer

Ashley Young's agent is understood to have contacted West Ham with view to finding his player a club in London. The 30-year-old Manchester United winger signed a new three-year contract at Old Trafford last year but is reported to be unsettled in the North West and seeking a return south.

At this stage there is no indication that West Ham are interested in bringing the former England international to the Olympic Stadium, but as a winger - who can also play in a more advanced role - Young could be viewed as a suitable replacement for Enner Valencia, who is widely tipped to leave West Ham this summer.

The Hammers previously attempted to sign Young in the 2007 winter transfer window but an £8million bid was rejected by Watford, his club at the time. Days later, a £10million bid was accepted - but Young refused to make the move to Upton Park, choosing to sign for Aston VIlla instead. He joined Manchester United in 2011, following three seasons at Villa Park.

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Ladies match cancelled
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th May 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham Ladies' plans to play one final time at the Boleyn Ground have been shelved. West Ham United announced this lunchtime that the mooted clash between the Ladies and a West Ham All Star XI, which was scheduled to take place at the Boleyn Ground on Sunday, 5 June has been cancelled. According to the club, "the decision to call off the match has been taken in response to direct comments from supporters, a poll conducted on the club's website and fan feedback on social media." A number of supporters spoke out against the game as they felt the final match featuring a West Ham team and staged at the club's home of 122 years should be a first team fixture. It is also thought that the club harboured concerns due to the condition of the Boleyn Ground - which is slowly being stripped of its contents - and the question of stewards and security, who would have required to police the fixture. Ladies co-Chairman Stephen Hunt told whufc.com "Obviously the Ladies are disappointed but myself and Jack Sullivan will get together over the summer to see what else we can do in the future."

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Club record bid rejected
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th May 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United are reported to have had a £26million bid for Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette rejected. Sky Sports reported tonight that the 24-year-old goalscorer, who has long been linked with a summer move to the Olympic Stadium was the subject of a failed bid earlier today. Lacazette, who is not involved with the provisional French squad that will compete in this summer's European Championships has also been interesting the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool in recent months. West Ham had been considered front-runners to sign the highly-rated forward but Jason Burt reported later that the record-breaking offer was the second rejected by Lyon, adding that the Hammers were unlikely to return with a third bid. West Ham's current transfer record fee stands at £15million, paid to Liverpool for Andy Carroll in 2013. News of the club's interest in Lacazette comes hot on the heels of yesterday's story regarding a £25million double-bid for Bournemouth duo Matt Ritchie and Callum Wilson, who scored a hat-trick at the Boleyn Ground at the beginning of last season in the Cherries' 4-3 win.

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Oxford responds to transfer rumours
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th May 2016
By: Staff Writer

Reece Oxford has laughed off a story linking him with a move away from West Ham United. Sky Sports reported last night that the talented 17-year-old, who is rated as one of the country's brightest young prospects had rejected a new contract offer from West Ham. It was also suggested that Oxford, who is under contract at West Ham for another two years might be available for "a bid in excess of £10million" - a figure that may lead "the Hammers to consider selling".
However Oxford, posting on his Twitter account in reply to the ensuing furore gave no indication that he is seeking to leave the club when he wrote "rumours will be rumours!" The England youth international, who made his first team debut at the age of 16 against Lusitans in the Europa League last summer made a total of 12 appearances during the 2015/16 campaign for the Hammers.

* Oxford was named as the KUMB Readers' Young Player of the Year at Tuesday night's Awards show, beating Martin Samuelsen (third) and Reece Burke (runner-up and last year's winner).

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Hammers speak for first time on Bournemouth bid
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 18, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are unapologetic over making a bid for Bournemouth pair Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie claiming they never made it public! The club has exclusively revealed to ClaretandHugh this morning (Wed) that they did indeed make a bid but are clearly taken aback that the world now knows about it after it made a couple of pars initially in the media. They have explained that the offer for the pair was a private Matt Ritchie Bournemouthaffair and that there was never intention – nor did they ever have any intention of – making the bid public. That Eddie Howe – one of the quietest managers in the League- to have complained in his post match press conference about it – was indeed very strange however and smacks of mountains and molehills.
The Cherries boss had said: "We had a bid yesterday evening and the disappointment from our perspective is why the bid came in the day before our last game of the season when you have the whole summer to bid for players. "The two players were in our squad and due to play in this game with a lot of speculation about their future. Bizarre." "The bid was rejected and we don't need to sell. We want to improve our squad, not weaken it. Our biggest challenge is to keep ends the players we already have. Yes, it was West Ham and no it wasn't £25 million."
However, West Ham were quick to point out that at no stage did they as a club made the bid public and are clearly surprised that it has become a major issue. Our top insider – said: "We put the bids in and they were rejected. We think somebody at Bournemouth or a player's agents made the bids public, as we certainly didn't."

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Rugby World Cup OS agreement revealed
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 18, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

The venue hire agreement between Olympic Stadium owners E20 LLP and England Rugby 2015 Limited has been the latest contract published under Freedom of information laws this week. There has been a domino effect of publication of previously confidential agreements since a coalition of football supporters fought for the publication of West Ham's rental agreement with the stadium owner. Last week, saw the fine details of the sweet deal enjoyed by UK Athletics in hiring the Olympic Stadium with a base £35,000 maintained fee for a 45 day exclusive summer rental window. The Olympic Stadium saw five matches at the Rugby World Cup in 2015 including the bronze final on October 30th but group pool matches included France v Romania (September 23rd) New Zealand v Namibia (September 24th), Ireland v Italy (October 4th) and South Africa v United States on (October 7th). Although details about corporate hospitality, catering and naming rights have all been revealed, the actual amount Rugby organisers paid has been blacked out. Stadium owners were forced to reveal West Ham are paying £2.5m in rent plus performance bonuses but the Rugby World Cup rent is being kept secret.

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Come on Eddie Howe – time to man up mate
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 18, 2016 in Hugh's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H

Not quite sure what got into Eddie Howe's head as he launched his bizarre outburst against West Ham following Bournemouth's defeat against Manchester United last night (Tues). He chose to make it clear that the Irons had bid for pair of players and even explained that it wasn't the reported £25 million. Maybe being Bournemouth he's not used to seeing his players command two pars in the tabloids suggesting there's been a bid so without any irony let me explain – Eddie it happens! :-). And should it be a match day and you are asked about it in the post-match press conference the best way to handle it is to say "no comment" or merely explain there has been a bid but that it's not acceptable. End of. Instead he chose to go into a mini rant about the timing of the offer and suggestion that West Ham are out of order to do so…err No. West Ham didn't release the news and as was suggested by ClaretandHugh's senior insider the news could easily have been leaked to the press at the Cherries end or via an agent. Unless Mr Howe has some firm evidence the Hammers were responsible he should perhaps keep quiet rather than trying to blame those who have denied being responsible. I can only believe a 3-1 drubbing by an average United team had – as it's bound to – a very distressing effect but oi Eddie that's down to you and your players – NOT US. Man up buddy!

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Hammers end rumours over defender
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 18, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham have shrugged off all suggestions that Reece Oxford is being hunted by any club. Sky Sources suggested yesterday (Tues) that the Hammers would be ready to entertain bids of around £10 million for the youngster rather than face picking up compensation of much less in 18 months time. They also implied that he has refused to sign a new deal and although the club want to tie him down to a new deal there is absolutely no concern inside the club over the new round of rumours. ClaretandHugh contacted its top source at the club as the speculation intensified and was immediately assured there "is nothing in any of this at all." He added: "There have been no inquiries from anywhere but the time of year always sees a certain train of events get underway and there's always a legion of agents and middlemen ready to start rumours through the media. "We are talking all the time and monitoring things and there is nothing to be concerned about."

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West Ham's James Tomkins a transfer target for Crystal Palace and Sunderland
22:30, 18 MAY 2016
BY DARREN LEWIS
The 27-year-old Academy product who can play centre-half or right-back would be reluctant to go, but the Hammers' squad is in line for a summer shake-up
The Mirror

Crystal Palace are interested in West Ham's James Tomkins. Sunderland are also big fans of the 27-year-old defender, who can play as a centre-back or right-back. A product of the West Ham youth academy, Tomkins is hugely popular with the club's fans and would be reluctant to leave. West Ham are set to shake up their squad this summer, however, following their failure to sustain their shock Champions League bid. It also comes on the back of a final-day defeat at Stoke which left them pinning their Europa League qualification hopes , ironically, on Manchester United beating Palace in Saturday's FA Cup Final.

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Di Canio recommends player to Slav
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 18, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Former Hammer Paolo Di Canio is believed to have personally recommended Bournemouth's Matt Ritchie to Slaven Bilic. A source close tpo the club told us: "Paolo knows the player well having managed him at Swindon and recommended him strongly to the boss." Ritchie signed for Bournemouth at the beginning of 2013 on a three-and-a-half year deal for a reported £400,000 fee. After leaving Swindon Ritchie said he was a "heavy hearted" at moving on with Di Canio insisting the club sold him behind his back. Less a month after the sale Paolo Di Canio has resigned as manager of League One side Swindon and cited the sale of Ritchie as one of the factors in his decision. The same source also claimed Slaven became a big admirer of Callum Wilson since he scored a hat trick over West Ham in Bournemouth's 4-3 win over the Hammers last August. The Hammers admitted today they had made a bid for the pair following Cherries boss Eddie Howe's angry outburst that the we had been out of order in doing so during his post match press conference following the defeat at Old Trafford last night (Tues).

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Man Utd can boost Irons Lacazette hopes
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 18, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are hoping that Manchester United can give them a last chance helping hand to land their No 1 striking target Alexandre Lacazette.
Despite adopting a public stance which claims they have given up the chase for the striker after seeing a 31 million euro bid rejected, they remain in the game. Lacazette is keen to play Champions League football next season but the Hammers believe that should they find themselves in the Europa Cup via a Manchester United FA Cup Final victory then they are back in with a chance of landing their man. ClaretandHugh reported last night that the player is calling the shots on his future and that whilst Lyon are ready to let him go they will not pressure him into a club against his better judgement. The Hammers have shown the player how much they want him by launching their biggest ever bid and are set to renew their efforts should United strengthen their hand at Wembley. A top source told us: "Obviously that situation is still very much in play and our interest cannot be entirely at an end as a result. It's all a case of keeping the powder dry at this stage."

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Alexandre Lacazette: The Lyon striker on Premier League radars
By James Walker-Roberts
Last Updated: 18/05/16 1:43pm
SSN

After scoring 21 goals in Ligue 1 this season, Alexandre Lacazette appears to have caught the attentions of several clubs around Europe. West Ham have shown their intent, with a £31m bid rejected on Tuesday, while there have been reports that Manchester United and Liverpool are also interested. But what would the 24-year-old bring to the Premier League and how much is it likely to cost to lure him away from Lyon? We look at some of the key questions...

Why all the fuss?

Lacazette's profile has increased significantly over the last couple of years. From scoring 23 league goals combined in his first three seasons as a regular starter, in 2014/15 he notched 27 times to finish as top scorer in France, and also won the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award. He started slow this season, only scoring five times in the first 15 games, but finished strongly to end up second behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the scoring charts. At 5ft 9in, he is not as strong in the air as Ibrahimovic and far less of a target man. Instead, he likes to get involved with play, linking up with fellow forwards - mainly Maxwel Cornet and Rachid Ghezzal this season - and helping create opportunities in and around the box. He created 43 chances in the league this season, had a shot accuracy of 57 per cent, and in 2014/15 he had the best chance conversion rate in Ligue 1 (35 per cent). While that has dropped off this year, only three players in France contributed to a bigger percentage of their team goals than Lacazette (32 per cent). He was also rated as the second best striker in Ligue 1 by whoscored.com, behind Ibrahimovic, with an average of 7.36.

So is Lacazette new on the scene?

Not really. He will turn 25 on May 28 and made his first-team debut with Lyon six years ago. Since then he has made more than 200 appearances for the club, including playing in the last-32 of the Champions League and quarter-finals of the Europa League. In this season's Champions League, he scored against Zenit St Petersburg and Valencia as Lyon finished bottom of their group.
They should play Champions League and play good football, passing the ball and not just hitting it from box to box. Not kick and rush. It would not work for me. He has also been capped 10 times by France but has not been included in their squad for Euro 2016, with Anthony Martial, Olivier Giroud and Andre-Pierre Gignac preferred up front. Lyon head coach Bruno Genesio said he was "very disappointed" that Lacazette did not make the squad.

Does he want to move to the Premier League?

There have been mixed messages. His agent said in March that he expects to be at Lyon next season but, more recently, there was not quite such commitment from the player himself.
"Will I still be in Ligue 1 next season? I will think about it," Lacazette told Canal+. "I need to take good decisions. I am very happy at the club. If there is better elsewhere, then I will see. I am happy at the club, but we will think about it."
In January he told the Daily Telegraph that the Premier League is "very attractive" while outlining his criteria for a team he would join. "They should play Champions League and play good football, passing the ball and not just hitting it from box to box. Not kick and rush. It would not work for me," he said.

Do Lyon want/need to sell?

Their president, Jean-Michel Aulas, has been known to strike a hard bargain in the past - think Michael Essien's prolonged transfer to Chelsea. He has said that he wants Lacazette to stay and in March went so far as to say that the striker leaving this summer would be "simply impossible". But a larger offer than the one put forward by West Ham could test Lyon's resolve, with reports suggesting they might sell for around £39.1million. Lyon's position is strengthened by the fact the striker signed a new deal until 2019 and they can offer Champions League football next season after finishing second in Ligue 1.

Is there other interest aside from the Premier League?

There has also been reported interest from Spain, with La Liga champions Barcelona and Atletico Madrid among the clubs said to be keen on Lacazette. Paris Saint-Germain have also been mentioned as potential suitors as they look for a replacement for Ibrahimovic. Lyon midfielder Corentin Tolisso said his team-mate could "adapt to many clubs" but his head coach, Genesio, believes it would be in his best interests to stay. "For me, the correct choice would be to stay at Lyon."

Whether Lacazette heeds that advice remains to be seen.

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Report: Lacazette deal is dead
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 18, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Jason Burt from the Telegraph reports that the Lacazette deal is now dead and West Ham has now walked away unwilling to make a third offer. Burt claims the latest offer was 33 million Euros (£25.8m) and not the reported £31m by the Sun and Sky Sports News. Speaking on his personal twitter when the news broke on Sky last night Burt said "So.. West Ham have failed in a bid of 33m euros (£25.8m) for Alexandre Lacazette and I'm told the deal is now dead. I had hoped the Lacazette story would wait until tomorrow as I was still checking but West Ham have failed in two bids and now walked away.."
Burt later described the deal as "Dead as a dodo. Two bids rejected and it's over." and answering to one supporter on twitter who questioned Burt on whether West Ham would make a third offer "No, it's a decent offer. But Lyon are a difficult club to deal with. The negotiations were always very clear." Meanwhile, L'Equipe in France suggest PSG has now entered the race to sign Lacazette with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leaving the club this summer.

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West Ham transfer news: Paris Saint-Germain ready to hijack Hammers' pursuit of Alexandre Lacazette with £40m bid
By talkSPORT - @talkSPORT
Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Paris Saint-Germain have muscled in on West Ham's pursuit of Alexandre Lacazette. The Hammers had a £31m bid rejected by Lyon on Tuesday but are expected to return with a better offer later on in the summer. However, after hearing about West Ham's approach, PSG have now rekindled their interest in the forward and are willing to stump up £40m. The French champions are on the hunt for a new striker this summer following the departure of the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimovic. And Lacazette, who netted 23 goals in 44 appearances for Lyon last term, now appears to be the club's No.1 target. Lyon would prefer to keep hold of their star man but a bid in excess of £35m is likely to tempt them into selling.

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