West Ham's Survival Bid Damaged as Midfielder Nears Exit
West Ham United's attempts to avoid the clutches of relegation have been dented by the news that midfielder Ravel Morrison wants to leave the club for Fulham in the January transfer window.
Morrison has made 15 Premier League appearances this season after enjoying his breakthrough campaign with the Hammers but wants to reunite with Rene Meulensteen following the pair's time together at Manchester United.
"Yes, we did make a bid," Meulensteen confirmed after Fulham's 3-0 FA Cup third round replay win over Norwich City. " I think he does want to come.
"He would add pace, power, unpredictability and a real attacking threat. I don't know what the situation is now, because that's left with [chief executive] Alistair Mackintosh."
"We got knocked back, it got rejected, and so we need to review it and move on.
"I've explained how I think about the situation (to the Fulham board), so we'll have to wait and see what happens," he added.
"I've known him for a long, long time, but the thing is this: we have to wait and see how the club takes it forward as to whether there's another bid."
"I've made my desires clear so I'll leave it up to the relevant people to take forward. I don't know the ins and outs. It's very difficult in the January transfer window.
"People always say, 'Why don't you do your business early', and the answer's simple, because you can't.
"Clubs are in a similar situation, they know the longer they wait the higher the price will go. Or they gamble and nothing comes off. So you always see things stretching to the last week of the transfer window."
West Ham are understood to have submitted an official complaint to the Premier League regarding Meulensteen's comments and a fortnight ago manager Sam Allardyce confirmed no bids had been received for the England Under-21 international.
The 20 year old is considered an outsider to feature in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the World Cup finals in Brazil and such has been his improvement this season his loss would be a significant blow to West Ham's hopes of escaping relegation.
Allardyce welcomed back Andy Carroll from injury for West Ham's win over Cardiff City and has been able to sign Roger Johnson on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers however news regarding Morrison being unsettled in east London works as an unhealthy distraction at a vital period in the season.
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