West Ham to make big loss on Gianluca Scamacca with striker set for Atalanta transfer after just one season

West Ham have agreed to sell striker Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta for £21.5million plus add-ons, talkSPORT understands.

Scamacca flies to Italy on Saturday for a medical.

The 24-year-old Italy international only joined the Hammers last season from Sassuolo for £35.5m.

But he struggled to fit in at the east London club, having managed jeight goals in 27 appearances in all competitions – finding the net only three times in the Premier League.

West Ham rejected a £17m offer from Inter Milan earlier in the summer transfer window for the forward, but have accepted a higher bid of £21.5m from Atalanta to take him back to Serie A.

It’s another costly striker failure to add to West Ham’s list, with the Hammers wasting millions on attacking players over recent years.

It does, though, add £20m to their transfer kitty to strengthen the squad this summer.

West Ham sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m earlier in the transfer window, but have yet to spend a penny on any new players for manager David Moyes.

The club has been linked with aplenty of targets this summer but none of their approaches have come to any fruition – which has led to a strained relationship between Moyes and the Hammers’ club’s new technical director, Tim Steidten.

Steidten has opposed the club’s efforts to sign Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, despite Moyes pushing to land him, while West Ham have had bids for Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher and Fulham’s Joao Palhinha rejected.

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The east Londoners were also dealt a blow this week as Ajax hijacked their deal to sign Man City’s 19-year-old winger Carlos Borges.

Meanwhile, according to talkSPORT sources, West Ham have stepped up their interest in Ajax star Edson Alvarez, with the 25-year-old defensive midfielder – seen as a direct Rice replacement – open to the move.

Scamacca’s West Ham exit was expected this summer having struggled to prove value for money and find his place in Moyes’ team.

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Despite some encouraging words from Hammers coach Kevin Nolan to talkSPORT at the end of the season, insisting Scamacca will be a success at the London Stadium, the Italian was criticised by one of his own teammates.

Michail Antonio appeared to take aim at the frontman with a brutally honest verdict on his first season at the club, saying he was a ‘quality player’ but is ‘not a fighter’ and struggled to play the way Moyes wanted.

Scamacca will move to Atalanta as a replacement for Rasmus Hojlund, who is set to be announced as a Manchester United player around their penultimate pre-season friendly with French club Lens on Saturday afternoon.

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