West Ham have held talks with Burnley regarding the signing of Nottingham Forest-linked player Maxwel Cornet, according to Sky Sports. The Reds and Everton remain in the hunt to try and sign the tricky winger before the transfer window closes.
The Hammers are only keen on signing Cornet on loan, however, and that provides a problem. The tricky performer has a release clause of £17.5 million in his current contract and Burnley are only keen on a sale this summer.
It will be interesting to see how the Clarets play this. They won’t want to sit on a player that doesn’t want to be there and could be willing to bow down to the demands on offer from West Ham before the transfer deadline.
Forest had been keen on Cornet this summer. It was thought, however, that the player wasn’t keen, with further reports suggesting that the 25-year-old was unable to agree on personal terms with the newly-promoted outfit.
The speedster signed for Burnley from Lyon last summer. He enjoyed a relatively decent maiden campaign in the Premier League, scoring nine goals and claiming two assists from 28 appearances.
It’s no surprise to see other clubs interested in his services. Forest’s attempts have never got too far down the line and it would seem that for whatever reason, the £44,000-a-week Cornet is holding out to receive a better offer from elsewhere.
West Ham in talks for Cornet and Forest have a decision to make
The Hammers will have a significant pull for new players. They’re in Europe and will challenge for honours at the right end of the Premier League table over the next eight months.
Still, Cornet needs to be careful. West Ham have a plethora of attacking players in their squad and Cornet wouldn’t necessarily be guaranteed a shirt.
Everton would be an intriguing one. They’ve just signed Dwight McNeil and James Tarkowski and having a familiar face or two to help him settle could be ideal.
For Forest, they have a decision to make. They are the one club that seem happy to pay the release clause but Cornet isn’t willing to accept the wage proposal.
If the Reds really want the Ivory Coast international then they either have to pay him what he wants or pursue other targets instead.
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