Celta Vigo president Carlos Mourino has ruled out the sale of striker Maxi Gomez below his €50m release clause.
There had been widespread reports that the player – who has a €50m release clause in his Celta contract – was in talks with both Valencia and West Ham over a transfer.
“What is clear is that we are not going to sell Maxi, he has a clause and the teams that want him have to start paying attention to that amount,” Mourino said, as cited by Marca.
“From there, we can negotiate but if the player has to stay, there is no problem, no matter how much agreement Valencia has personally with Maxi, if they does not reach it (the clause) with Celta there is nothing that will happen.”
Los Che can offer Champions League football and the guarantee of staying in a league and culture with which the striker is already familiar, and the player is said to be edging towards this idea.
The Uruguayan striker netted 17 goals in La Liga last season in his first campaign in European football, leading to a series of top European clubs monitoring his progress.
The striker’s contract in Vigo contains a €50m release clause but Celta are said to be trying to negotiate to include Valencia forward Santi Mina in a deal plus an upfront fee of €25m.
Celta swooped for Gomez from Defensor Sporting for just €4m two summers ago but after a prolific start to life in La Liga his form has been questioned in recent months.
The frontman has netted just four times in his last 18 appearances while the Galician club have struggled in the absence of his strike partner Iago Aspas, who struggled with injuries this season
Gomez has hit 30 La Liga goals in 68 starts since joining from Uruguay in 2017.
Barcelona, Tottenham and Liverpool have all been linked to the player.
