Arnautovic tells West Ham he wants to leave

Marko Arnautovic has told West Ham he wants to leave.

It comes amid reports that a Chinese club are keen to sign the Austrian forward.

In a statement released to Talksport, the player’s brother Danijel Arnautovic, who also acts as his agent, said the club should let him go.

Danijel Arnautovic said: “He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles. This is what he wants.

“It is his great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China.”

Earlier on Thursday, West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini dismissed as “rumours” reports that Arnautovic has been targeted by a Chinese club.

Speaking at a press conference, Pellegrini appeared confident that the player will not be going anywhere.

He said: “They are rumours. We know Marko is a very good player so maybe a lot of clubs will want him to play for their team, but at the moment he is a West Ham player and we want to keep him.

“I think Marko and all the other players involved in rumours have their heads here and want to continue playing the way they are doing so far.

“I am sure his head will be in the game against Arsenal and it will not affect his performance.”

Pellegrini’s attacking options have been boosted by Andy Carroll’s return to the squad and the injury-plagued target man is in contention to feature against Arsenal after his recent outing against Birmingham in the FA Cup.

Pellegrini said: “I am happy with him and I feel if he can continue playing that he can be the player we know he can be.”