Pedro Obiang Set for West Ham Stay After £8.9m Fiorentina Bid Is Rejected by Hammers

West Ham have rejected an offer of £8.9m for defensive midfielder Pedro Obiang from Italian club Fiorentina.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium after slipping down the Hammers midfield pecking order, primarily because of the emergence of Declan Rice in the holding midfield role.

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Rice, alongside captain Mark Noble, have been manager Manuel Pellegrini's first-choice options in midfield, leading to speculation that Obiang may look to leave the club in order to pursue more regular first-team action.

News of a bid from Serie A side Fiorentina emerged a few days ago, but Sky Sports now report that the bid has been rejected by the Irons. It's thought the Hammers will only be willing to negotiate a deal for Obiang if they are able to source an adequate replacement - a stance enhanced by the current long term injuries to other central midfield options Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere.

Obiang joined West Ham in 2015 from Sampdoria for £4.3m, and has made 105 appearances for the club since his arrival - including 18 during the current campaign.

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The midfielder spent five years with Samp after joining in 2010, though it remains unclear at this stage whether or not he favours a move back to Serie A with Fiorentina - despite recent reports suggesting that the player would prefer to stay in the Premier League rather than move back to Italy.

Obiang was restricted to a cameo appearance from the bench during West Ham's 1-0 victory against Arsenal at the London Stadium. The win - which came courtesy of Rice's first ever West Ham goal - pushed the club up into ninth in the Premier League ahead of their trip to face Bournemouth on Saturday.