Sébastien Haller Rejects Bundesliga Return in Favour of West Ham Stay
By Tom Gott
Exclusive - West Ham United striker Sébastien Haller has rejected the chance to leave the London Stadium this summer, with Hertha BSC failing with an offer for the Frenchman.
The 26-year-old, who joined in a £45m deal from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, managed seven goals in his debut season in the Premier League, but lost his place in the starting lineup towards the end of the season after failing to start a single game post-lockdown.
Having struggled to make the kind of impact hoped for, Haller's future at West Ham has been called into question and a source has confirmed to 90min that the Frenchman has been made available for transfer after just one season.
The Hammers are hoping to raise funds for manager David Moyes, who is looking to embark on somewhat of a spending spree to ensure West Ham don't find themselves in another relegation battle in the coming season.
They see offloading Haller as an easy way to raise a significant fee, and the first side to show any concrete interest were Hertha, who are looking for possible replacements for Serie A-linked Krzysztof Piątek. However, Haller is in no rush to leave London and is very happy with life in England in general.
Hertha's offer of a two-year loan was also scoffed at by West Ham, who would prefer to see Haller leave permanently for a fee close to the £45m they paid last summer.
There is still plenty of interest in Haller from elsewhere - with reports suggesting Monaco are keen on the Frenchman - but Haller hopes to reject all the offers and instead fight for his place at the London Stadium.
He faces a battle with Michail Antonio, who moved into a central striker role post-lockdown and responded with eight goals and one assist in just nine games, including a stunning four-goal haul against Norwich City.
With West Ham still looking to raise money, Brazilian winger Felipe Anderson is seen as a likely casualty, while Chelsea continue to be linked with a big-money bid for versatile midfielder Declan Rice.