Arsenal Interest Could Test West Ham’s Transfer Resolve

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

Reports from Mail Sport claim Arsenal have added Aaron Wan-Bissaka to their shortlist, although not at West Ham’s reported £25 million valuation.

If the report is accurate, I wouldn’t dismiss this one out of hand.

As Claret & Hugh revealed exclusively last week, Lazio had already submitted an offer worth around €10 million for Wan-Bissaka, with West Ham understood to be holding out for something much closer to €20 million.

West Ham Are No Pushovers

There doesn’t appear to be any realistic route back into the first team for Wan-Bissaka.

Nuno Espírito Santo appeared to lose faith in the defender last season after he failed to return immediately following DR Congo’s World Cup qualifier, instead attending a presidential celebration. From that point onwards, Kyle Walker-Peters established himself as West Ham’s first-choice right-back.

With that in mind, a transfer probably suits all parties.

However, West Ham are no pushovers anymore.

The club have already banked significant fees from the sales of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville, helping offset the financial impact of relegation from the Premier League.

That means there is no need to accept low-ball offers simply because another club thinks West Ham are under pressure to sell.

Pay Up Or Move On

If Arsenal are genuinely interested, then I suspect there is a deal to be done.

Personally, I think somewhere around the €20 million mark would probably be enough to get West Ham talking.

But if the Gunners are hoping to prise Wan-Bissaka away on the cheap, I think they’ll be disappointed.

West Ham’s message this summer has been pretty clear. If you want one of our players, you’ll have to pay up or jog on.