Luizao can now sign pre-contract as West Ham United eye new transfer
West Ham United have now placed Sao Paulo defender Luizao in their crosshairs in the final week of the transfer window, according to Esporte IG.
The South American outlet has reported on its website that the defender is also being watched by London rivals Fulham with a Premier League move now on the cards.
What makes this one interesting is that the Brazilian can now sign a pre-contract with any team as his current deal runs out in January 2023.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like it will happen.
Luizao and his entourage are said to be against putting pen to paper on a deal to move elsewhere further down the line so it would need to be a permanent move with a fee over the next week.
Clubs in Spain, as well as Porto and Benfica, are said to hold an interest, as the race starts to really heat up.
Both West Ham and Fulham are waiting for Luizao and Sao Paulo to hold conversations about their next move before making anything concrete in the coming days, weeks or months.
Money.
GSBK have opened their chequebook frequently and heavily during this window.
So, it makes no surprise that they may have told Rob Newman to slow down after Lucas Paqueta, with a record deal set to go through imminently over the weekend.
The 20-year-old would add another central option for the Irons, and that is exactly what they need right now.
Even with Thilo Kehrer and Kurt Zouma now forming their partnership with Angelo Ogbonna returning, the injuries haunting those players can always come back.
David Moyes will not want to rely on someone such as Ben Johnson again if those problems come back, so bringing in someone like Luizao who could even cost nothing, would be perfect.
Already making 18 appearances for the senior Sao Paulo side this season, Luizao would come along with good experience, although Brazil is nothing compared to the Premier League.
It’s all about progression and finding these little gems, and could Newman have worked his magic here?