West Ham agree £68m Al-Hilal deal for Crysencio Summerville, ending Man Utd hopes

West Ham United have agreed a deal worth around £68million with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal for winger Crysencio Summerville, effectively ending any hope Manchester United had of signing the Dutchman this summer.

Summerville, who joined the Hammers from Leeds United, is now expected to undergo a medical before completing his move to the Middle East. The fee comfortably eclipses an earlier bid reported to be in the region of £60million, and leaves Premier League suitors priced out of a deal for the 24-year-old.

United had been monitoring Summerville as an option following West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League last season, but their interest cooled as the Saudi Pro League club’s offer grew. Roma were also credited with interest in the winger but were reportedly only prepared to offer around £39million, well short of Al-Hilal’s package.

Rebuilding after the drop

Summerville scored five Premier League goals last term as West Ham slipped out of the top flight, and his departure will hand the club a significant cash injection as they attempt an immediate return to England’s top division from the Championship.

So far this window West Ham’s only confirmed incoming signing has been Venezuelan international Keiber Lamadrid, though the Summerville windfall is expected to fund further recruitment as the club plots life in the second tier.

Manchester United’s chase for Summerville came alongside their interest in Mateus Fernandes, who instead completed a big-money switch to Tottenham Hotspur, leaving the Old Trafford club still searching for reinforcements on the flanks.

Bowen commits despite exodus

The Summerville sale comes amid a period of upheaval at the London Stadium, though the club received a boost when captain Jarrod Bowen recently pledged his long-term future to West Ham rather than seeking an exit following relegation.

“My main motivation is staying and bringing this club back to the Premier League where we belong,” Bowen said. “I flew out to Prague to meet [club directors] Daniel [Kretinsky] and Jiri [Svarc] and the ambition that I got from them, certainly in terms of the direction the club wants to move in, it interests me a lot. It didn’t take a lot, because this club means a lot to me.”

With Summerville’s move now all but confirmed, attention will turn to how West Ham reinvest the fee as they attempt to strengthen for a promotion push under their new ownership structure led by Kretinsky and Svarc.

Read more: Man Utd confirm £50m Andrey Santos signing as Ederson deal collapses

Sources

• dailymail.com
• The Mirror

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.