West Ham have triggered the £17million release clause for Burnley's Maxwel Cornet ahead of the Premier League's big kick-off. The left-winger had been strongly linked with Newcastle United throughout the summer but that talk intensified last week.
Cornet's name was put to Eddie Howe last week but he refused to comment on whether Newcastle were in the running. Back then Howe said: "A predictable answer from me, I won’t comment on other people’s players."
Therefore, it would be too presumptuous to say that Newcastle have lost out to West Ham in a straight fight for the former Lyon star. The reality is that Newcastle's mere mention in Cornet's summer narrative may have pushed the Hammers into action.
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And while Howe has pointed to the fact that Newcastle are looking at a "small pool" of players, United are looking at more than one name as things stand.
Cornet only signed for Burnley last summer from Lyon for £13.5million but the Lancashire club's drop into the Sky Bet Championship has resulted in his exit. Some fans hoped to see a link up between Bruno Guimaraes and Cornet this summer but talk of the Ivory Coast-born player and Newcastle simmered down after last weekend.
Cornet has now travelled to London for his medical where he will link up with David Moyes and Declan Rice.
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