West Ham Made to Wait By Brazil International Winger Amid Interest From Chelsea & AC Milan
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini won't rush into the signing of former Shakhtar Donetsk winger Bernard even though the Brazilian has attracted interest from a number of Europe's biggest clubs, according to reports.
It has been suggested that Bernard, who rejected a move to east London earlier this summer, is now being eyed up by both Chelsea and AC Milan. La Gazzetta dello Sport (via football.london) even claim that the Italian side's sporting director Leonardo spoke with the player's representatives in July.
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However, Bernard is taking his time over his next move as he can join a club after the transfer deadline - which is August 9 for clubs in the Premier League.
Despite concrete interest from West Ham, who have offered a €7m signing bonus on top of the proposed €4m wages after tax, Bernard will wait before deciding to put pen to paper on a new contract somewhere in Europe.
The versatile forward, who has been capped 14 times by Brazil at senior international level, became a free agent this summer following a five-year spell with Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.
After arriving at the Donbass Arena in 2013 from Clube Atlético Mineiro for an estimated £22m, Bernard went on to make 157 appearances for Shakhtar, scoring 28 goals and claiming 35 assists.
Bernard is arguably the most high profile player without a club during ahead of the new league season, although a number of other free agents also include Pontus Wernbloom, Diego Reyes and Hatem Ben Arfa.
