West Ham expect striker Craig Bellamy to resolve a "private contractual issue" with Liverpool on Monday before sealing a £7.5million transfer.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez confirmed on Saturday that Liverpool have agreed to sell the Wales international to the Hammers.
The Upton Park club later issued a statement to say Bellamy has passed a medical and agreed terms, but that the move has not yet been "formally completed".
The statement read: "The deal has been delayed due to a private contractual issue between Craig Bellamy and Liverpool, which must be resolved before any transfer can be completed.
"The player is due to meet with Liverpool on Monday morning, and we expect to complete the transfer soon after."
Bellamy would become West Ham's fourth summer signing and take manager Alan Curbishley's spending since he arrived at Upton Park in December to nearly £40million.
The fee for Bellamy breaks West Ham's previous transfer record of £7.25million, which the Hammers paid Norwich for Dean Ashton in January 2006.
Meanwhile, Benitez - speaking to the press after witnessing a youthful Liverpool side win a pre-season friendly at Wrexham 3-2 - insisted that any move to bring Hammers midfielder Yossi Benayoun to Anfield would be a separate deal.
While Bellamy is understood to have agreed a four-year deal on £75,000 a week, any hopes that Benayoun could form part of that agreement have been ended.
Benitez, who has also allowed reserve winger Paul Anderson to join Swansea on a season-long loan, said: "The deals for Bellamy and also Djibril Cisse are completed.
"And any move for Benayoun to join us from West Ham will not be linked with the Bellamy sale. We have made an offer which has been rejected.
"He is a player I like and would want to sign, and I believe he wants to join us, but that deal will be separate now. We will have to wait and see what happens now next week."
West Ham had attempted to use Benayoun as a straight swap for Bellamy, but Liverpool consider the Israel captain to be worth around £4million, and that offer has been rejected by the Hammers.
Cisse was also the subject of a late move by West Ham, but the French international wants to stay with Marseille, after a season on loan at the French Ligue 1 club. His fee is believed to be around £6m.
www.teamtalk.com
No comments:
Post a Comment