West Ham close in on club record move for La Liga star

Bengaluru, July 9: West Ham United are set to smash their transfer record after reportedly meeting Maxi Gomez’s £44.85million release clause.

Reports in England claim the Hammers are desperate to bring Celta Vigo’s star striker to East London this summer as Manuel Pellegrini looks to push for a place in Europe.

The Hammers' current record signing is winger Felipe Anderson, who joined last year from Lazio for £36m.

Gomez, 22, has been a long-term target for Pellegrini after scoring 30 goals in just two seasons at Celta Vigo.

But the Spaniards made it clear the Hammers would have to meet his release clause in full to begin discussing contract terms.

However, a deal is far from certain, with Celta Vigo also negotiating with Valencia.

It’s believed their La Liga rivals are offering cash plus striker Santi Mina and Celta might opt for that.

Mina is their former player and could be a good replacement for Gomez. But Gomez is understood to favour a Premier League switch as it is his long-term dream.

And that puts West Ham in pole position to secure his coveted signature after they already wrapped up a move for Villarreal playmaker and Spanish U21 Euro champions Pablo Fornals.

Meanwhile, the Hammers have confirmed that Marko Arnautovic has departed for Shanghai SIPG.

The Austrian forward has moved to China in a £23million deal after a long tussle with the club regarding failed transfers.