West Ham’s move for Barcelona defender Marlon has hit a glitch as the two clubs are not close to reaching an agreement over a fee for his proposed transfer to England.

The defender joined Nice on a two-season loan deal last summer but Barcelona have already told the French club that the defender won’t be returning to Allianz Riviera ahead of the new campaign.




Nice had a purchase clause worth €25m in the loan agreement but the French club are not keen on signing Marlon for such a large fee and are already looking at other options.

West Ham are interested in signing the 22-year-old centre-back this summer and have been locked in talks with the Catalan giants over taking him to the Premier League.
 


There were suggestions that an agreement is imminent, but according to Spanish daiily Mundo Deportivo, Marlon’s proposed move to the east London club could be delayed this summer.  

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Barcelona want the defender’s suitors to match the figure they agreed with Nice, but for the moment West Ham are only interested in paying a fee of around €15m for the Brazilian.

There is considerable difference between the valuations of Marlon for the two clubs and it could take a while before an agreement is signed off by both parties.

The Brazilian will start pre-season with Barcelona next month if a solution cannot be reached before then.