City ready to let Bridge join Hammers - if the price is right
Published 23:00 27/12/10 By Alan Nixon
Manchester City are ready to let Wayne Bridge join West Ham – if the survival fighters come up with a deal.
The clubs are trying to thrash out figures on a loan, or even a permanent low-fee transfer.
Bridge has slipped out of Roberto Mancini’s side and the former Chelsea star is available as part of a massive cull on wages ordered by the Arab rulers at Eastlands.
Hammers hope City will subsidise a loan arrangement for Bridge – who is on around £90,000 a week.
But there are no special City deals any longer like the one which eased Craig Bellamy’s switch to Cardiff.
So West Ham must come up with Bridge’s wages in full for the rest of the season, or find a way of taking him permanently and risking having his huge salary on their payroll if they go down.
Avram Grant is also closing in on another signing – Hoffenheim’s £6million-rated Senegal striker Demba Ba.
Hammers want to bring in the powerful target man who was heading for Aston Villa as Gerard Houllier’s big-money buy for the transfer window until the move went cold last week.
