The main reason for Armando Broja’s decision to join West Ham from Chelsea this summer has been revealed.
Broja is ready to leave Chelsea despite signing a long-term contract last summer prior to heading out on loan to Southampton for the 2021/22 campaign.
He joined up with Thomas Tuchel’s side in the United States tour last week, but injured himself in training and missed the 2-1 win over Club America in Las Vegas.
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It came at an unfortunate time with the Chelsea head coach wanting to see the 20-year-old in action during pre-season.
Heavy interest has been shown in Broja this summer. Everton and Newcastle United were also keen, but West Ham are set to win the race despite Tuchel’s insistence that they had ‘no intention of offloading the forward.
"Armando is our player first of all and we have, at the moment, no interest in selling him,” said the Chelsea head coach last week.
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“He is here to make an impression after he was on loan in Southampton. That's his situation from where we look up front. It's good if there's interest as it shows us there's talent and potential.
"It shows us that Armando is in the position to impress and become a Chelsea player. When will he become a Chelsea player? Nobody knows but hopefully as soon as possible.
“He got injured and there's a delay for him, which is never nice because a young player should normally make an impression from the first minute in pre-season. Now we have a bit of a delay in that but that's the situation.”
But Broja flew back to England on Sunday as the rest of the first-team headed to Orlando.
The Chelsea striker held talks with Tuchel over his position in the side and long-term future. Tuchel reiterated he didn’t want him to go, but Broja has appeared to have made his mind up.
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Personal terms have been agreed, as reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, with the contract length still undetermined.
Talks between the clubs remain ongoing over a £30 million fee. Chelsea would prefer to loan Broja, but the forward and his camp don’t want another temporary move.
The Athletic have also confirmed the main factor for Broja wanting to join West Ham. Sources have told them that ‘the proposed move has not developed at the request of Chelsea, rather it is being driven by Broja and his desire to be starting regular first-team matches’.
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He will be hoping to build on the six goals he netted for Southampton in the Premier League last season.
It’s not a done deal, but it’s getting closer for Broja to get his move to the London Stadium.
Topics: Armando Broja, Chelsea, West Ham United, Thomas Tuchel