West Ham agree deal to sign Alex Song from Barcelona
Thursday 20 August 2015 13:30, UK
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has confirmed the club have agreed a deal to sign Alex Song from Barcelona subject to a medical.
Co-owner David Sullivan told a West Ham fan website "a deal was in place should Song recover from an ongoing injury".
Song, who joined Barcelona from Arsenal in 2012, played 31 times while on loan at Upton Park last year but has been sidelined recently after undergoing surgery to remove a piece of bone from his ankle.
Bilic, who is keen to recruit the midfielder on a permanent basis, said: "You have seen the chairman's statement. We have agreed terms and now it's subject to the medical.
"We are really confident he will pass that and everyone agrees, football people across the country, that he was brilliant last year. If we can get him playing like that the whole season he could be crucial."
He added: "We've got a lot of positive comments or details about his improvement.
"That kind of injury is not a big injury. Eight to 10 weeks until it's sorted, but once it's sorted it's done."
In his article Sullivan said: "He's a player we all admire and we just hope that the medical shows he's in a sufficient state for us to gamble.
Alex still has two years on his Barcelona contract. You're signing a player on a three-year contract, so it's a huge commitment.
"He couldn't physically pass a medical tomorrow, but if the medics say it's just a technical thing and he's only a couple of weeks away you'd take that gamble and hope they're right.
"He's still got two years left on his Barcelona contract and you're signing a player on a three-year contract, so it's a huge commitment. He's a big earner, Alex.
"He's injured at the moment, which is something you've got to weigh up. But we've got until September 1 to make a decision."
