As per reports by Sky Sports, Crystal Palace have identified West Ham United forward Michail Antonio as a transfer target. The Hammers have made it clear that they are willing to sell Antonio and are ready to listen to offers of more than £15million.
Antonio struggled with fitness last season and failed to perform consistently as the Hammers struggled for goals. He mustered 21 appearances in the Premier League, 5 of which were as a substitute, and he found the back of the net three times.
West Ham United are ready to offload him and it is understood that the player wants to stay in London for personal reasons.
Manuel Pellegrini, West Ham’s new manager, has already added a lot of freshness to the squad after his arrival earlier this summer. Pellegrini has splashed a lot of cash to lure Issa Diop, Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson. They’ve signed Wilshere on a free transfer as well.
Considering the options at West Ham now, Antonio is behind the pecking order and a move elsewhere is perhaps the best thing that can happen to him this summer.
The former Hebei China Fortune manager is understood to have been impressed by the performances of Antonio during their pre-season camp in Switzerland but the club is interested to recoup funds and this is probably the main reason for their inclination to strike Antonio off their books.
The 28-year-old signed from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2015 for £7million and has made 76 appearances, scoring 20 goals in the process. However, Crystal Palace are going to get an experienced campaigner if they manage to sign Antonio who is well acclimatised with English top flight.
Antonio’s best season was in 2016 when he managed nine goals and three assists and if he can keep fit, he’d be a pretty good addition to Palace. He is more than a decent package with a lot of experience in English football under his belt. His versatility of operating on either wing, as a wing-back as well as a striker should come in handy for the Eagles.
Crystal Palace haven’t been active this summer and having flirted with the relegation zone last season, they must make some shrewd additions before the transfer window shuts down.
Statistics Credits: Whoscored