West Ham United are reported as being very close to completing a deal for Barcelona wonderkid Alen Halilovic.
The Croatian international has been chased by his compatriot Slaven Bilic for two months and former Besiktas boss has offered £5.2 million for the midfielder.
The 19-year-old could make the move to Upton Park next week, according to reports in Italy with Barcelona having a buy-back option at a price of £6.9 million.
Following the relegation of Barca’s B team, Halilovic is thought to be keen on moving to play football at a higher level.
Halilovic scored four goals out of midfield in 30 Barcelona B performances last season and seven in 44 games for Dinamo Zagreb between 2012-14 before making the move to Spain.
The Premier League would be a step up for the midfielder who has attracted interest from a number of top European clubs.
Fingers crossed on this one, serious potential on offer and to be fair he plays at international level anyway so he already has some experience. this lad linking with payet and maybe lanzini would make a serious attacking 3
Would be a cracking signing. Alas all these murmurings of him signing are only coming from articles in the Metro so I’m not getting my hopes up just yet.
It all sounds a bit odd doesn’t it, sell him for 5.2M and buy back option for 6.7M after a season… I am sure if we had offered that he would already be on our books, basically they are giving his ex national manager a chance to improve the player to first team level and they would only be paying £1.2m to increase an assets value by 3 or 4 times…
Doesnt mean they are going to activate the buy back option does it.I should think that with the players they have he would have to have a season like Messi for them to want him back.Try not to look for the negative side of things for a change 😉
There was nothing negative or positive about it, just an observation that the story sounds odd which it does. I sure hope we sign him would be quite a scoop for the Brentwood gazette 😉
Always why ? why? Why? If Slaven rates the lad, and can do a deal that’s fine by me. Who cares what Barca think or hope, the lad may want to stay and play in the OS.
I understand he’s a class act.
I’m really excited about this one.The icing on the cake for me.I hope I don’t wet my pants over it though?
I dont like the buy-back clause and the Brentwoodgazette is full of rumours. The premier league is a difficult place to try new young players, but he is an exciting prospect.
He will be our second “new-messi” in one transfer window. We are expecting 2 new players, maybe 3 with Valencia’s injury. Jimenez is supposedly on his way waiting for paperwork, Song is an ongoing process and then I would think Hernandez/Austin should be prioritised ahead of Halilovic.
Cant see it happen, but would like to see him in an Irons kit!
Would be an exciting proposition.Barcelona are willing to let him move on so we have as much chance as anyone with the Croatian connection between him & Slaven.
The Wonderkid that got relegated in Barcelona’s ” B ” team ,, are we talking about the same incredible player ??. Barcelona are prepared to let him go and improve his game with the option of buying him back after West HAM. HAVE TRAINED HIM . something ain’t right .
There are 10 outfield players in a team Kevin, It wasn’t this one guys fault they got relegated. He could well have had a great season, like Ings for Burnley last season, they also went down !
You really do know nothing about this kid do you Kevin.If you did you wouldnt make such a ridiculous comment about him.Sometimes it is better to say nothing at all about something or someone you know nothing about.It stops you looking foolish.
Barcalona have a history of doing this Pique when he was at Man Utd and Romeu when he joined Chelsea. Even Bojan when he moved to Roma before Stoke had a buy back deal. Worst and Best case scenario the lad is amazing he sets the premiership alight we have to sell him back to Barcelona and we make a million in the process. I’d rather that than sign him on loan and loose a million in the process.
I also believe the Everton lad Gerard Deulofeu has got a buy back deal for the first 2 seasons with them. Very common it seems from Barcelona to do this and why not, excess of young talent get them out and playing and if they loose the world class player they can exercise the right to sign him back as they did with Pique.
Don’t quite understand this one. Surely we either loan him or are essentially expecting him not to fulfil his potential, and make £1mil off him…?
I don’t think its a negotiable for us I think its just Barcelona’s way of covering themselves and they are in the position to do it! Just have to sign him and hope they don’t want him back! Pique ,Bojan, Romeu, Deulofeu, and Jeffren Suarez who joined Sporting Lisbon are the ones I have read about, but who knows how many more they have done. But to my knowledge Pique is the only one taken back! Fingers crossed we sign him as he looks a real talent.
Well im sure we are expecting him to reach his potential.But reaching his potential for us does not mean Barca will trigger any clause.Our limits are set a bit lower than theirs for what constitutes a top player,lol.Having a top season for us doesnt mean they will particularly want him back.They are just covering themselves in case he is absolutely stunning for us.I very much doubt Barca would want him back unless he turns out to be unplayable next season 😉
According to SSN he’s going out on loan with us and Everton interested with a quote “the barca want to send the playmaker to a club that will hand him regular first team football and one which also utilities a style of play which will allow him to progress”
If we can add this lad to Payet,Lanzini and Zarate,we would have enough power behind the forwards with Valencia when he comes back and Jimenez if he gets his permit to push the top 5 teams,with Samulsun,Alfitano and Jarvis as backups we would be in a dream world compared with the last 4 years,
Please Please sign him
Kevin the reason Barca want a buy back clause is because he is special and what’s wrong with getting a player for the year and being paid if he goes back and if he doesn’t we get a world beater cheaper,