West Ham United have wasted little time in embarking on transfer activity in wake of the 2023/24 campaign coming to an end.
The Hammers finished ninth in the Premier League table and missed out on European qualification after two seasons in which they enjoyed two fine adventures on the continent.
West Ham have opted for a change in direction, bringing in Julen Lopetegui to replace David Moyes, whose contract expired at the end of the season.
The Hammers have been heavily linked with a couple of players so far this summer and they’re reportedly on the verge of getting one deal over the line.
West Ham are reportedly set to sign Brazilian midfielder Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras, and Fabrizio Romano has now provided an update on the state of play.
What has Fabrizio Romano said about West Ham and Luis Guilherme?
“West Ham have been busy in the transfer market and Luis Guilherme is really close, I’d say one step away,” Romano said to CaughtOffside.
“We have to wait for the medical and contract signing, but the agreement with Palmeiras for €30million (£25.5million) package is done.
“There have been many other names mentioned in the media – Samu Omorodion, Rwan Cruz, Simon Banza – and we will see many links, but they’re not something really close now.”
Who is West Ham target Luis Guilherme?
Luis Guilherme is an 18-year-old midfielder who hails from Brazil and has risen through the Palmeiras ranks, breaking into the first-team last year.
He has made 44 competitive senior appearances to date for Palmeiras and looks like he could be one of Brazil’s next standout talents.
In 2022, Football Talent Scout‘s Jacek Kulig wrote an in-depth scouting report about Guilherme, giving him a 9 out of 10 potential rating.
Kulig deemed him a “highly technical and creative player” who’s “extremely dangerous on the counter” and a “spectacular dribbler”.
Let’s see what happens in the coming days with regards to Guilherme and West Ham, maybe even the coming hours.
Hopefully it won’t be long now until we get that all-important ‘here we go’ from Romano.