Craig Bellamy (left) and Scott Parker have been the subject
of bids from Manchester City
Manchester City have made West Ham a combined offer of
£15million to try to prise Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker from
Upton Park.
The bids were rejected out of hand on Sunday night as the
Hammers moved to 10th in the Barclays Premier League table with a
2-1 home win against Stoke.
Although City, who drew 2-2 at Blackburn, will be back with an
improved offer, the West Ham board hope the decision shows the
supporters there is an ambition to withstand pressure to sell.
They have not encouraged City to improve on the offers of £7.5m
each for Bellamy and Parker.
City’s interest in Bellamy, who was suspended for Sunday’s win,
is widely known and while Parker is a surprise name on City’s wish
list, he is considered better value for money than Villarreal’s
Marcos Senna, who is 32.
West Ham have rejected a £6m bid from Tottenham for Bellamy,
whom they value at around £12m, but insist they do not want to sell
despite their much-reported financial problems.
City, backed by the vast wealth of the Abu Dhabi royal family,
will be back with an increased bid, however.
Another leading City transfer target, Kolo Toure, is believed to
have expressed his desire to leave Arsenal, although the Gunners
last night denied any knowledge of this.
These are the first signs of City flexing their financial muscle
and West Ham are certain to come under more pressure as manager
Mark Hughes builds a team to climb the table when the transfer
window opens on Thursday.
