West Ham United are back in the market for yet another attacker from South America it seems.
Not just ‘in the market’ per se. West Ham are said to have lodged an official bid for the Colombian winger.
Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten worked in tandem to bring Brazilian youngster Luis Guilherme to the London Stadium from Palmeiras for £25.5 million.
Strengthening the forward line will be the main priority for Lopetegui now, as well as bolstering his centre-back ranks of course.
The Spaniard is said to be keen to complete the majority of his transfer business before our pre-season campaign begins on July 20th.
There’s plenty of time for West Ham to get our business done. Under David Moyes we usually had to wait until the end of the window before any official moves were made.
Things are clearly very different now though.
And it looks like we could wrap up yet another deal before the end of June…
West Ham have made official bid for South American attacker
Steidten is clearly targeting the South American market this summer for unpolished gems.
And the German diamond eye seems to have found yet another one…
According to a report from RTI Esporte, West Ham have lodged an official £11 million bid for Fluminense forward Jhon Arias – one that has been accepted.
The Hammers will also pay the Brazilian club around £1.8 million in bonuses if the 26-year-old Colombian hits certain performance targets.
And it is suggested that a deal to bring Arias to the London Stadium could be completed within the next few days.
The Fluminense star is a right winger by trade, but can also operate in the middle or out wide on the left.
He has bagged 35 goals and 38 assists in 168 appearances for Fluminense, and he has seven goals and four assists to his name in 27 games so far this season.
Arias is absolutely rapid and has a really low centre of gravity, meaning that he’s incredibly hard to dispossess.
What makes him different from the other attackers we have at the club is the fact that he’s right-footed and plays on the right! He would provide Lopetegui with a completely different option in the final third.
In addition to that, his pace would definitely stretch the opposition and enable us to play higher up the pitch.
If West Ham really have had an £11 million bid for Arias accepted, it surely won’t be too long until yet another South American forward rocks up at the London Stadium.
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