According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, West Ham United‘s offer of €25m for Besiktas defender Domagoj Vida was rejected. The Hammers are mulling over making an improved bid for the defender as other clubs like Monaco are also in the race to sign him.
The Croatian defender was a relatively unknown prospect before the World Cup, however, a good outing in Russia propelled him to the limelight making himself a household name. He formed a formidable partnership at the back with Dejan Lovren as Croatia had their best ever finish in World Cup history by reaching the final.
The defender joined the Turkish outfit in the 2018 January transfer window and given the interest, other clubs are showing in him, it seems like he will part ways with them soon. Besiktas won’t be complaining as a good World Cup has given them an excellent opportunity to make a huge profit on the player.
The Hammers are set for a new beginning under Manuel Pellegrini and he will be looking to challenge the big boys of the Premier League in the upcoming season. The club has been relatively active in the transfer market and the challenge for the Chilean manager would now be to gel the squad together in a short span of time.
The defender is enjoying success relatively late in his career as he had hardly played in the top 5 leagues in Europe over his career span. His stint with Bayer Leverkusen lasted for just one season as he failed to impress in the Bundesliga. A move to the Premier League will certainly be the biggest challenge of his career and it will be interesting to see how he copes up if he makes the switch to the Olympic Stadium.
The East London outfit had the joint worst defensive record last season and Pellegrini will be aware that he needs to improve that. He has already signed the likes of Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena to sort out the problems and is still looking to make further additions.
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Vida might have had a good World Cup but there is a reason why he never ever played in the top leagues of the world. Paying more than €25m for a defender who is already 29 and has not been tested in the English top flight could turn out to be a bad move for the Hammers. Maybe it is time for Pellegrini to stop pursuing the player and look for other viable options.
