Wantaway Southampton defender Jose Fonte looks to be on his way to West Ham after rumours suggest a £8m fee has been agreed.
It looks like Saints skipper Jose Fonte has had his transfer wish granted with West Ham nearing a deal to land the 33-year-old defender as bookies suspend the betting.
Fonte submitted a transfer request at the beginning of January and, after initially being linked with former clubs Benfica and Crystal Palace, it now appears he'll be heading to east London for a fee believed to be around £8million. The odds, which were 15/8 on Tuesday, shortened right in to 2/5 before bookies suspended the market on Thursday evening. Paddy Power remain the only bookmaker still showing the market with Fonte priced at 1/14.
Fonte took the decision to step down a league when he joined Southampton in 2010 from Championship side Crystal Palace. The Portuguese defender has been ever present in the Saints' rise to the top flight but is now ready to move on. He has expressed his desire to leave the south-coast club since the beginning of the season according to Saints boss Claude Puel, which he confirmed in his press conference on Thursday.
"This situation with Jose is difficult for the squad. It's difficult for him also. It's not just about this market; it's been since the beginning of the season," said Puel.
"It's been a difficult situation for Jose because he's always in discussions with the club, about contracts, or no contracts. I took a decision at the beginning of this window to keep Jose out the team, to study different possibilities, and to protect the team from all this speculation about Jose," added the Frenchman.
Despite the on-going issue with Dimitri Payet, West Ham have been fairly busy this transfer window. They have made approaches for Brentford's Scott Hogan, Hull's Robert Snodgrass and also enquired about the services of Jermain Defoe.
It could be the last move of his career for Fonte but he will no doubt add strength to the Hammers defence, who conceded seven goals in their first two matches of 2017.
