West Ham are preparing an offer to sign Arsenal loanee defender Konstantinos Mavropanos this summer, according to reports. However, in the current loan agreement with Stuttgart, he has a clause that could see him join the Bundesliga club for just €3million (£2.5million).
It’s a clause that could complicate matters, and may see the Gunners miss out on a large transfer windfall. The 24-year-old has been a key figure in Germany since making the move, making 28 appearances, scoring four goals in the process.
football.london understands that Mikel Arteta had doubts over Mavropanos' ball distribution, despite the Greek international's impressive passing statistics in the Bundesliga last season. It means an exit is more than likely anyhow.
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Now, according to Kicker, West Ham are preparing a €25million (£21million) offer for the Greek defender. It comes after a season of injuries at the back for the Hammers, who have often rotated between Craig Dawson, Kurt Zouma and Issa Diop when all are available.
However, as explained in the report, that offer may go straight to Stuttgart for the summer, due to their €3million (£2.5million) buy clause in the loan deal. If that were to happen, it would see the Gunners miss out on £18.5million in transfer windfall.
That income, for a player that could be set to leave anyway, is a huge loss to the club, especially ahead of a busy summer transfer window. However, there’s no guarantee that either Stuttgart or West Ham will proceed to make an offer for him.
