West Ham confirm Summerville sale timeframe but Villa still have chance

Whether Aston Villa will be the highest bidder and Summerville’s destination remains to be seen as Roma continue to try and get the winger on the cheap.

West Ham confirm Summerville sale ‘within 72 hours’

Hammers News exclusively revealed Summerville has a complicated £50m release clause in his West Ham deal.

A host of clubs have been linked with the West Ham ace including PSG, Man United, Chelsea, Spurs, Roma and Aston Villa.

How CONFIDENT are you that Taty and Dinos will stay beyond the summer?

Both start alongside Jarrod Bowen at Southend?

It is the latter two clubs, Roma and Villa, who have come to the fore in the last week, though.

Both can offer Summerville Champions League football – a big step up from the Championship football on offer at West Ham next season.

Aston Villa have cash to burn and a hole on the left to fill as they are selling Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for a record £117m.

Roma’s manager ruled out a move for Summerville to boost Villa over the weekend, stating the wages he wanted were too expensive for the Italian side.

Since then, Roma have submitted a further two offers – both under West Ham’s complex £50m release clause but with add-ons which means that figure would be met if all were achieved.

Villa still have Summerville chance with ‘destination unknown’

West Ham do not have to sell players for financial reasons but have elected to offload Mateus Fernandes and Summerville to boost the club’s cash-flow and allow the players to further their careers elsewhere.

Aston Villa have been waiting in the wings and are known for doing quick, efficient and quiet transfer deals.

So they cannot be ruled out of the race for Summerville, who was one of West Ham’s better performers on their way to relegation last term.

Because West Ham have confirmed Summerville will be sold “within 72 hours” but Villa still have chance based on the club’s response.

A leading senior West Ham source has exclusively told Hammers News that Summerville, who was signed for £26m from Leeds in a deal led by David Sullivan, will be sold in the next three days.

But the West Ham source has stated “we don’t know who to yet” – which leaves the door wide open for Villa to get a deal done.

The Hammers source also confirmed that Sullivan, who remains the club’s second biggest stakeholder with a 38.8 per cent holding, has no involvement in the deal or negotiations.

If West Ham get the £50m in Summerville’s release clause, it will mean they have raised £135m from the sales of him and Fernandes.

That alone bridges the financial gap between being in the Premier League and playing in the Championship.

Even without those two players, West Ham are red-hot favourites to win the Championship title next season and return to the big time at the first attempt.

And that is before the Hammers have even spent a penny on new arrivals for Nuno Espirito Santo.

It is a refreshing change to see the club doing some shrewd business, playing hardball and not being held to ransom on deals for their top players.

Not to mention the fact four key players in Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mads Hermansen are all committed to the club for next season despite interest from elsewhere.