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Exclusive: West Ham lead Joao Mario race as Inter name star’s price-tag

Exclusive: West Ham lead Joao Mario race as Inter name star’s price-tag

Joao Mario is edging closer to Inter exit door and according to our transfer pundit Fabrizio Romano West Ham are leading the race to sign the Portuguese ace.

Joao Mario has been struggling with game time this season and, in general, he has failed to justify his € 40 million price-tag during his one-year a half spell at the San Siro.

Luciano Spalletti does not see him as an important part of Inter’s technical project and the player is aware that he will have little game time till the end of the season.

West Ham and Inter are in talks over Joao Mario’s January loan move to East London and despite an agreement between the two parties has yet to been reached, the Premier League side are ahead of Sevilla in race to sign the Portugal International.

Inter will accept to sell Joao Mario on loan with option to buy in January but the Serie A and the Premier League side have yet to agree the player’s fee. The nerazzurri want € 1.5 for the player’s loan until the end of the season and want the Hammers to pay the player’s salary until June.

West Ham are also going to discuss a fee to make the player’s move permanent at the end of the season.

​Meantime the player is being convinced that a move to England would be the best solution for him. At first, Joao Mario did not want to leave Inter but now he has become aware that he will have no game time till the end of the season and is starting realizing that a move away from Milan could be the best solution for all the parties involved in the deal.

Fabrizio Romano, translated and adapted by Lorenzo Bettoni