West Ham made an ambitious play to sign outgoing Manchester City ace Kevin de Bruyne, talkSPORT understands.
The Hammers were among the clubs who made contact with de Bruyne to see if they could tempt him to stay in the Premier League.
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Aston Villa are also believed to have contemplated a move for the decorated 33-year-old.
However, after not being offered a new deal to extend his trophy-laden ten-year stay at the Etihad, the Belgian magician decided he did not want to join another English club.
Instead De Bruyne is set to sign for newly-crowned Italian champions Napoli in a bid to prove he can still cut it at the highest level.
De Bruyne, one of the greatest Premier League players of all-time, also rejected offers from the MLS and Saudi Arabia.
The Belgian will become a free agent on June 30 meaning he will not travel with Manchester City to the FIFA Club World Cup which kicks off on June 15.
All signs point towards a move to Naples, a city still in party mode after securing their fourth Serie A title last Friday.
Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed he held discussions with De Bruyne, claiming the midfield maestro has already bought a house in the region.
De Laurentiis was quizzed on the possible arrival of De Bruyne this summer, to which he said: “Probably, yes. I know that he has already bought, or rather I believe he has already bought, a beautiful house.
“This morning I spoke to him, his wife and his nine-year-old son on a video call. We can’t say it (confirm the deal), until we have something in black and white. We are serious, that I know.”
Asked if his words were confirmation of the star’s arrival, De Laurentiis replied: “Not yet. Until it’s in black and white, there will be no confirmation.”
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Naples holds a special place for De Bruyne and wife Michele Lacroix after the pair married in the Italian city in 2017.
And now they appear set to make Naples their home for the foreseeable future with reports suggesting Napoli have offered the star a two-year deal with the option of further 12 months.
He is set to earn £21million from the move according to Italian outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport
De Bruyne will receive an initial £8m signing bonus, before netting a cool £4.6m per season, with the opportunity to increase his earnings through performance-based add-ons.
De Bruyne had been linked with a move to MLS with Chicago Fire and new franchise San Diego FC particularly interested in a deal.
But his decision to stay in Europe is a sign that De Bruyne still believes he can still perform on the biggest stage with Champions League football returning to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona next season.
