West Ham defender Jose Fonte set for £4.4m move to Chinese Super Leaguers Dalian Yifang
Ex-Southampton star to travel to Asia next week to seal £3.5m-a-year deal after being frozen out by the Hammers
VETERAN defender Jose Fonte's unhappy spell with West Ham is set to end next week with a £4.4million move to China.
The ex-Southampton defender is expected to sign a three-year deal with Dalian Yifang, newly-promoted to the Chinese Super League.
Fonte, 34, has made just 24 starts for West Ham since being signed by Slaven Bilic for £8million from the Saints just over a year ago.
He hasn't played at all since David Moyes succeeded Bilic.
The Portuguese international never really settled at the London Stadium after winning race reviews at St Mary's, where he played for seven years after leaving Crystal Palace.
reports his move follows West Ham co-owner David Sullivan's decision to insult both Fonte and Scotland international Robert Snodgrass in his well-publicised criticism of Bilic's recruitment policy.
An unhappy Sullivan cut off Bilic's recruitment budget midway through the summer transfer window before sacking the Croat coach in early November.
Sullivan held little back as he blasted: “I’m not involved in the strategy. The manager says he wants Fonte from Southampton and Snodgrass from Hull. My kids begged me not to sign them."
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Fonte hit back the next day, saying: "It’s ignorance, I’m not going to say anything. It’s not going to change who I am.
"It’s not going to change what I do. I’m going to keep being the good professional that I am. I am going to keep working hard to try and help my team-mates and the manager.
"What has been said has no effect on me or who I am.
“I am 33 years of age. I have 500 or 600 appearances.
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"I know what I have done in football. I know how hard I have to work to be in this position.
"It makes no difference to me. I will still continue to be the same guy I have always been.”
It is understood that Fonte's new contract is worth £3.5m a year after tax.
Dalian have also been negotiating the transfer of Belgium forward Yannick Carrasco from Atletico Madrid.