Marko Arnautovic’s proposed move to China has collapsed.
The West Ham striker had made it clear – via talkSPORT – he wanted to quit the Premier League club after being offered a lucrative contract by an unnamed Chinese Super League (CSL) side.
West Ham rocked as Marko Arnautovic’s agent tells talkSPORT striker wants out of club
He was duly left out of the Hammers’ squad to face Bournemouth on Saturday, with boss Manuel Pellegrini saying the 29-year-old “has his head on another issue”.
West Ham, despite publicly insisting he is not for sale, have been working on potential replacements, with Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez and Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek reportedly in their sights.
However, Arnautovic now looks set to stay at the London Stadium after the club in China decided to drop their interest having initially indicated they were prepared to offer around £45million to secure his signature.
The CSL window remains open until February 28 but, at this stage, it looks unlikely that a deal can be resurrected, leaving Arnautovic in limbo.
Arnautovic appeared to wave goodbye to the West Ham fans as he was substituted during their Premier League clash against Arsenal last week.
That came after his brother and representative, Danijel, told talkSPORT that it is his client’s “great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China.”
Pellegrini now faces the difficult task of trying to reintegrate Arnautovic into his squad, although he is understood to be relaxed about the situation and retains a good relationship with the former Stoke man.