Howe: Bournemouth rejected West Ham´s bids for Wilson, Ritchie

Eddie Howe has confirmed AFC Bournemouth rejected a bid from West Ham to sign Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie, with the manager disappointed by the timing of the offer.

Bournemouth pair Wilson and Ritchie have emerged as targets for West Ham, who are looking to build on a fine campaign in Slaven Bilic’s first season as manager.

However, Howe has no intention of cashing in on the duo following Tuesday’s Premier League season-ending 3-1 defeat at Manchester United.

“We had a bid yesterday evening. Why it came in the day before our season has finished, I don’t know,” Howe revealed post-match.

“It was from West Ham but the bid was rejected and we have no intention to sell. We want to try to improve our squad, not weaken it.”

Wilson and Ritchie played in the rescheduled fixture at Old Trafford, after the match was postponed due to a bomb scare on Sunday.

The Bournemouth pair were unable to prevent defeat in Manchester as goals from Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford and Ashley Young helped fine-tune United’s preparations for the FA Cup final.

Bournemouth, who ended their debut season in England’s top flight in 16th position, did walk away with some sort of consolation after Chris Smalling turned the ball into his own net in the 93rd minute.

“It’s been a difficult couple of days. Not ideal for anyone. It was disappointing overall for us. They dominated possession, we struggled to get a stranglehold on the game,” Howe told BBC Sport.

“United were a level above us in most departments. We didn’t make it as difficult for them as we could have done. There’s lots for us to ponder over the summer.

“It’s been a fantastic season. We’re still in the Premier League – that was the objective. 

“The hard work starts again very quickly. There is work to be done but I don’t think we need a major restructuring job.”