According to the Daily Star, Manchester United and Chelsea have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Marko Arnautovic as West Ham are reluctant to meet his increased wage demands.
The 29-year-old has more than four years remaining on his current contract which sees him earn £130,000-a-week but the Austrian wants a significant rise in his wages up to £200,000-a-week.
With the transfer window set to reopen in January, the dispute over wages at east London has put the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea on red alert as both the Premier League giants look to find a solution to their long-standing problems in front of goal.
As the Daily Star claims, Arnautovic,29, is ready to take the next big step in his career and this might just be the perfect time for him to make a move to one of the top sides in England.
The Austrian has been in splendid form for the Hammers since his move from Stoke City in the summer of 2017. He endured a tough time under Slaven Bilic but rediscovered his mojo under David Moyes as he finished the 2017-18 season with a tally of 11 goals and 6 assists in the Premier League.
And Arnautovic has taken his good form into the ongoing campaign as well, scoring 5 goals and registering an assist from 10 appearances. To be honest, Manuel Pellegrini’s expansive, free-flowing attacking brand of football has extracted the best out of the Austrian.
Standing at 6ft. 4 inches with a towering frame, Arnautovic is quite agile for a centre-forward of his stature. Even though he does not make full use of his stature to win aerial duels, the Austrian has a deadly eye for goal from outside the penalty box, something that should prompt Maurizio Sarri to make a move for him in January.
As compared to Alvaro Morata who likes to stick to his position and waits for the ball to be laid on a platter for him to score, Arnautovic is a far more dynamic proposition who excels with his work rate and swaps position in the final third to create opportunities.
A mobile centre-forward blessed with good technique, game awareness and vision, Arnautovic is not only adept at putting away the chances that come his way but also has the ability to link up effectively with his teammates.
Apart from his clinical nature in front of goal, Arnautovic also an efficient assist provider due to his ability to draw defenders out from their positions by drifting to the wider areas.
In fact, he has averaged 1.4 key passes and 3.1 shots per game this term for West Ham in the Premier League. Furthermore, the Austrian is capable of dominating the defenders with his dribbling and physicality and can also operate as a target man, all of which are lacking in Alvaro Morata.
The Blues are still unbeaten under Maurizio Sarri and sit 3rd in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Liverpool. Having made a bright start to the season, Chelsea are in contention for the Premier League crown but they need to add that cutting edge to their attack to fight toe-to-toe with the Citizens.
Undoubtedly, Arnautovic has all the qualities to fit into Sarri’s free-flowing, possession-based tactical game. And the fact that he is a proven striker at the Premier League level should make him a perfect buy for the Blues in January.