West Ham are determined to release Danny Ings and have now decided to let him go for free during the transfer window, according to talkSPORT.
A report on the website stated that the club is eager to remove his wages from their payroll after his disappointing performance of just three Premier League goals in 37 games.
However, the major obstacle in transferring the 32-year-old seems to be his hefty £130,000-a-week contract.
Ings previously had interest from Southampton, his former club, but declined the offer. West Ham did manage to sell Flynn Downes to Southampton for £18 million.
With players like Ben Johnson and Angelo Ogbonna leaving due to expired contracts, along with the sales of Said Benrahma, Thilo Kherer, and Nathan Trott for small fees, the club needs to cut costs after big spending on players like Max Kilman and Niclas Fullkrug.
The arrival of Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund has pushed Ings to become a third-choice striker at best, making his move to West Ham a major letdown given the size of his wages.
Finding a club to take on his contract will be a challenge, especially considering his lackluster goal return in recent seasons.
Just like defender Kurt Zouma, who failed a medical for a move to Shabab Al-Ahli, Ings may also be released for free to relieve the club of his wages. Negotiating a pay-off to void the final year of his deal is one option on the table, but West Ham’s next move with Ings remains uncertain.