West Ham’s hopes of bringing Alexandre Song back to the club on a permanent transfer have stalled due to dispute over the length of his proposed contract, says Matt Law of The Telegraph.
The 27-year-old impressed on loan at Upton Park last season, making 25 starts and three substitute appearances in the league, as well as three FA Cup starts. He notched three assists from his natural defensive midfield role with a 77% pass success rate and an average of 3.3 tackles per game.
Slaven Bilic wants the Cameroon international to return to the club but The Hammers are unwilling to give him a three-year deal as he has requested – the club would much rather sign him on a 1-year contract until he has proven his fitness, and extend the deal from there.
Matt Law claims that the London outfit have sparked interest in Esteban Cambiasso in the meantime, but hope to reach a compromise with Alex Song, despite the stubbornness of both parties.
Barcelona are willing to let the midfielder go for free, as he has no place in their squad; Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Arda Turan, and Sergi Roberto are all higher in the pecking order, understandably.
Before heading to Barcelona, Song was influential for Arsenal in the middle of the park for a number of seasons – we all know he has the experience and the attributes to succeed at West Ham, should a deal fall into place.
