West Ham United will need to pay £48m to seal Luis Guilherme transfer already
West Ham United underwent a minor rebuild during the summer transfer window, with David Moyes strengthening his midfield after Declan Rice’s exit.
James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus all arrived at the London Stadium and have hit the ground running, but the Irons still have a few gaps in their squad that Moyes and those above him will be looking to fill in the upcoming transfer windows.
One player the Hammers have been linked with a move for is Luis Guilherme, with West Ham already making contact with the defender’s representatives, alongside Chelsea, over the possibility of a potential move in the future [PL Brasil, 15 October].
But according to Fabrizio Romano (2 November), the left-back is set to sign a new deal with the Brazilian club which will see him improve his current salary and activate a one-year extension to his current contract which expires in 2025.
This new deal will include a release clause of £48million (€55 million) as Palmeiras prepare for a future sale, given the reported interest of not only West Ham and Chelsea, but speculation over a potential switch to Manchester United and Bayern Munich also touted.
Moyes’ side could undoubtedly do with new reinforcements at left-back, with Emerson the only regular option on the left side of defence given Aaron Cresswell’s struggle with injury this season, limiting him to only one Premier League start.
West Ham have begun to scout regularly in Brazil in recent years and the 17-year-old has plenty of talent considering the calibre of the European clubs monitoring his situation, but the huge release clause in his deal could harm the Irons’ chances of completing a deal.
Signing a 17-year-old is always a gamble, especially one with as little experience as Guilherme and it becomes even more risky when you have to spend nearly £50 million to secure his services.
The likes of Munich and Chelsea have plenty of resources to take that risk and make a move for the defender in the coming transfer windows, but West Ham won’t be particularly winning to spend such an extortionate fee on a player who could potentially be a dud.
£48 million would place Guilherme alongside the likes of Sebastian Haller, Lucas Paqueta and Kudus as one of the Irons’ most expensive transfers ever and it feels unlikely Moyes will be keen to spend that sort of money on a full-back.
In other West Ham news, Simon Jordan and Danny Murphy have clashed live on air over Declan Rice’s return to the London Stadium