West Ham United target Vitinha set to sign for Paris Saint-Germain
West Ham look to have missed out on another midfield target with the news that Porto star Vitinha is set to sign for Paris Saint-Germain, 90min reports.
As far back as January the Hammers were reportedly looking at the 22-year-old Portugal international, according to O Jogo.
But after the midfield man’s stand-out season helped fire his side to the league title wide-spread interest in his future was generated, with a whole host of English teams in the mix.
The 90min report says the Irons were in a group including Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds, Everton and Newcastle, but it is the French giants who have gazumped the lot.
After meeting the player’s €40million release clause it has been confirmed by Guardian journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter that he is now set for a medical and the final paperwork to be completed.
Romano claimed just one English club was actually interested, but aside from ruling out Manchester United he did not specify who it was.
Lagging behind
The transfer business at the London Stadium has proven to be frustrating throughout 2022, and although the long-awaited arrival of defender Nayef Aguerd is expected to now be imminent he will be just the first arrival of the year.
Nobody was signed in January, and although the squad is thin the names that have been linked to the club continue to sign elsewhere.
In fairness it would have been a stretch to outmanoeuvre the French champions for Vitinha, but he joins the list with new Spurs signing Yves Bissouma.
The three major targets from the winter window, Darwin Nunez and Leeds pair Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, have moved out of reach with the Uruguayan since signing for Liverpool, the Englishman looking set for Manchester City and Barcelona the key name in the chase for the Brazilian.
In that context it is no surprise that the late attempt from Newcastle to derail the move for Moroccan Aguerd caused such alarm.
A sensible amount of caution when it comes to spending big money is commendable but it is becoming a habit for the Irons to apparently identify top talent and then take long enough that a bigger club overtakes them.
Whether viable moves for any of the aforementioned targets were ever on the cards is now moot.
If it was possible to sign these players then clearly they have let them slip through their fingers, but if it is wasn’t they need to adjust where they are aiming for this to not keep happening.
In other West Ham news, one key target has announced the departure from his former club online.