The race for Troy Parrott is under way. According to the Daily Mail, West Ham United have submitted a bid of around €17.5 million to AZ.
That may not be enough to force a sale from the Alkmaar club. Algemeen Dagblad had already reported that technical director Niels van Duinen is chasing a transfer record, with AZ demanding €30 million.
How far West Ham are willing to go remains unclear. The Daily Mail expects the English relegated side, if needed, to push their bid beyond €20 million. According to Transfermarkt, Parrott is currently worth €25 million.
Much of that is down to the 'homegrown status' Parrott holds for English clubs. That makes the Irish striker an attractive option for sides such as West Ham, who must have at least eight players in their squad trained for at least three years before the age of 21 at a club in the same country.
From England, the reporting says West Ham face one serious rival in the battle for Parrott: FC Porto. Francesco Farioli's side have not yet made an official bid.
Parrott has made it clear to the AZ hierarchy for some time that he wants to leave, but he has also stressed he will keep giving everything. "Because the coach (Leeroy Echteld, ed.) and I have a very good relationship with each other, I also want to be of value in my final period. We recently sat down and had a good conversation," the striker recently told De Telegraaf.
"The coach said he had chosen the players who have to do it for him this season," so Parrott sees the current starting spot for Mexx Meerdink as no more than logical. "I think it is important to help the lads as much as possible. This club have done so incredibly much for me. I said to the coach: 'as long as I am here, I will be there for you and the boys'."