West Ham United will look to sign Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson should talisman Marko Arnautovic be allowed to complete his desired move to China, according to Sky Sports.
Earlier last week, the Austria international admitted that he would like to leave the Hammers – who paid Stoke City £25 million for him less than two years ago – and join up with Chinese outfit Shanghai SIPG, who tabled a £35 million bid for the forward.
Whilst West Ham value Arnautovic at around £50 million, according to the report, it is believed that manager Manuel Pellegrini will have the final say on whether his side’s top scorer will be allowed to leave the London Stadium.
Should the Chilean sanction Arnautovic’s departure, the Hammers will look to replace the 29-year-old with England international Wilson, though they could expect to face stiff competition from London rivals Chelsea.
The Blues are in the market for a new striker to lead the line, with £60 million man Alvaro Morata enduring another disappointing season in front of goal, whilst Olivier Giroud is not a regular goalscorer.
Whilst Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri would reportedly prefer to be reunited with Gonzalo Higuain – currently on loan at AC Milan from Juventus – it is thought that the Stamford Bridge outfit would be prepared to spend up to £50 million on Wilson.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a fine season for the Cherries, scoring 10 times in all competitions for Eddie Howe’s side as well as once on his England international debut against the USA.
Despite the speculation surrounding his future, Arnautovic started West Ham’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Saturday, before being replaced by Andy Carroll with 20 minutes remaining.
Ironically, the Hammers’ next match is a trip to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon and it will be interesting to see who will be leading the line for the respective sides.