In a dramatic turn of events, Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal have executed a high-profile transfer hijack, striking an agreement with West Ham United for Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville. The deal, valued at £68 million (€80 million), completely blows all other suitors out of the water.
For weeks, Serie A side Roma had been leading the race to secure the 24-year-old's signature. Roma had submitted an initial bid worth approximately £39 million (€46 million). They would go back to the well 2 more times, but didn’t meet West Ham’s request of £50 million. In what seemed like a formality was foreshadowed by Roma’s manager Gian Piero Gasperini stating that the deal would fall through because the transfer fee was too high and the salary demands seemed out of reach.
“They are not within our reach,” Gasperini told reporters when asked about potential transfers for Summerville and Mason Greenwood. “By choice, not because the owners can’t afford it. The choice is to set contract targets. The wage bill is important. When these parameters aren’t me, we look elsewhere.”
Roma will now be looking elsewhere. Gasperini made those comments despite several sources, including transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, reporting a deal was imminent. Also reported in the last 24 hours was a potential hijacking from Aston Villa, who just sold Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for £117 million and were looking to make a splash. However, Al-Hilal made a late, decisive entry into negotiations.
Roma had also agreed to terms with Summerville €4 million per season and a chance to play Champions League football. That was also blown away with Al-Hilal agreeing to pay close to €15 million in wages per season for a term of four years. The offer essentially outbid any possible club from entering a bidding war.
Summerville is scheduled for a medical in the next couple of days and will be traveling to Saudi Arabia to sign his agreement. Coming off a strong individual run that saw him feature for the Netherlands at the World Cup, the Dutch winger successfully raised his profile, leading to this transfer. This transfer ranks second only behind Neymar (€90 million) for the highest-priced transfer in Saudi Pro League history.
Any financial challenges West Ham may have had entering their Championship campaign have been significantly reduced by Summerville and the Mateus Fernandes (£85 million) transfer to Tottenham just a couple of weeks ago.
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