Manuel Pellegrini claims he has the power to decide Marko Arnautović’s future, and will only agree to sell him if the price is right.
The Austria international has been linked with a move to China in recent weeks, with Shanghai SIPG said to have offered a large deal to bring the former Stoke City man to Asia.
Arnautović’s brother responded to the rumours earlier this month, claiming his brother greatly wants to move to China, however the Hammers has as of now rejected any approach for their star forward.
It is believed that any move to China would see Arnautović’s wages triple, and Pellegrini says he will not stop him from leaving, but only for the right price.
West Ham’s stance is that they do not want to sell Arnautović, but the Chilean coach confirmed he wouldn’t stand in the way of the 29-year old. As quoted by BT Sport, Pellegrini said:
If I say the player must stay, the player will stay.
I don’t have any problem with the club. In all the months I’ve been working here I never had any problems with the owners about that.
So they are not forcing me to sell Marko Arnautovic. But I think as a manager the best thing is to take the solution that is best for the player and the club, both together.
If they agree, we don’t have any problem to change.
I am not telling the club about it. If it’s a good deal for both parties we will arrange to be without Marko. But the club doesn’t want to sell him.
Fans had worried that Arnautović would replicate former West Ham forward Dimitri Payet, and refuse to play for the club if he wasn’t allowed to leave.
The Frenchman did that two years ago in order to force through a move to Marseille, a move he eventually got.
However, Pellegrini is convinced that, should West Ham decline to let him leave, Arnautović will continue to act as a consummate professional. Pellegrini continued:
Marko is working with the team without any problem.
When you have such a high offer, everyone wants to leave but he has a contract here and we will know what will happen about it in the coming days.
Of course you can’t blame him, he knows what is the best option for him and now we will see what happens between the clubs.
I don’t think that the player will refuse to play.
