It has just emerged why Fabricio Bruno chose to turn down West Ham United.
West Ham’s new man Julen Lopetegiu has wasted new time in the market, as The Hammers have already identified a number of targets.
Luis Guilherme’s arrival is imminent and so too was Bruno’s before he pulled the plug on the £15m deal from Flamengo.
The Brazilian centre-back is now being heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League instead.
That said, a report has come to light indicating why he snubbed The Hammers.
Fabricio Bruno wasn’t in line to receive significantly improved pay
According to Standard Sport, West Ham were reluctant to offer Bruno a significant improvement on his current deal at Flamengo.
Not just in terms of pay but also the number of years they were willing to offer, so he chose to reject the move to the London Stadium.
It seemed he’d be on his way to Saudi instead but in a recent interview, he made his desire clear to stay at Flamengo.
“It’s an extremely private decision. There will be the right moment to talk about it. What I’d like to make clear is that I’m extremely happy here and I’m going to keep working for my club,” the 28-year-old said.
West Ham United should move to Jacob Greaves
With the Bruno deal now off, West Ham should move to sign Hull City defender Jacob Greaves, who has been linked in recent months.
The left-footed centre-back has been one of the best players in the Championship over the last couple of seasons and appears ready to make the step up to the Premier League.
At the age of 23, Greaves has enough experience to make the transition and still plenty of room to develop.
He’d be a smart acquisition for Lopetegui.