West Ham United have reportedly failed with a £12million bid for Joao Mario.

According to an exclusive report from FCInterNews, West Ham United have offered just £12million for midfielder Joao Mario – and Inter Milan have rejected the bid.

Mario, 25, had impressed for Inter last season but found first-team football hard to come by under Luciano Spalletti this term, and the midfielder ultimately decided to move on in January.

West Ham snapped him up on loan until the end of the season, and he has so far made five Premier League appearances for the Hammers, failing to really set the world alight at the London Stadium.

However, West Ham would seemingly be prepared to take the Portugal international permanently at the right price, but their £12million offer has allegedly been rejected.

Gold and Sullivan bidding low again?

West Ham fans often criticise owners David Gold and David Sullivan for making low-ball offers for players, making bids well below their value and giving West Ham no chance of landing them.

In Mario’s case, the midfielder was signed by Inter for £40million from Sporting in 2016 (Sky Sports), having impressed both for his club and for Portugal at the 2016 European Championships.

Mario’s value has certainly declined since then, but to offer just £12million seems audacious, and it’s little surprise that Inter have flat-out rejected that offer, if reports are to be believed.

Inter would certainly want to recoup at least half of what they paid for Mario, and given his lukewarm displays so far, West Ham may not want to go too much higher with their bids for the midfielder.

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