Marko Arnautovic will be the subject of a new bid of about £45 million from Shanghai SIPG which will test the resolve of West Ham United to keep the striker.

An offer, pitched at £35 million in some quarters and £27.6 million elsewhere, was rejected last week but the Chinese Super League champions, whose season starts in March, are expected to return with a fresh deal for the Austrian forward.

Arnautovic, 29, has made no secret of his desire to leave West Ham and accept a contract that could be worth £300,000 a week. His brother, Danijel Arnautovic, who is his representative, issued a statement to that effect last week. “He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles,” it read. “This