West Ham United transfer news as Chelsea join race to sign Luiz Felipe
West Ham United have been joined by London rivals Chelsea in the race to sign Real Betis defender Luiz Felipe, according to Estadio Deportivo.
The Spanish outlet reports that the Billionaire-owned West London club have placed the Brazilian centre-back on their summer wishlist following the new long-term injury absence of Wesley Fofana.
The former Lazio defender has long been a target of West Ham in recent weeks with El Desmarque reporting on 18 July that Betis are yet to receive an official written offer for the 26-year-old, despite an expectation that the deal should’ve happened days ago.
Moyes has wanted as many new signings as possible at his first training camp in Australia, causing some to worry the deal may stall and collapse.
Rice replacement clear priority
The news that Chelsea have now joined the race for Luiz’s signature is certainly not a promising indication for West Ham United, or who knows, maybe Betis are trying to get the Hammers to get a move on by putting out this story.
West Ham desperately need defensive reinforcements, having struggled with a huge number of injury problems last season, drastically causing their disappointing form in the Premier League.
Angelo Ogbonna, Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer and Nayef Aguerd all endured periods on the treatment table last year, and it’s why the reports have emerged over the past month linking the Irons with the likes of Manchester City’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis and AS Roma’s Roger Ibanez as well as Felipe.
However, while there is a need to strengthen the centre of defence, replacing the outbound Declan Rice remains the number one priority, with the Hammers reportedly making contact to sign Edson Alvarez, placing a bid for Fulham destroyer Joao Palhinha and continuing discussions for Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria.
The Hammers already have options in defence, but no solid midfield option in Rice’s absence.
Whether the latest Estadio Deportivo report that Chelsea have joined the race is true or not, Betis have handed the East Londoners a true indication of their desperation to allow the “excellent” defender to depart the club this summer. The ball is in West Ham’s court for sure.
In other West Ham news, club sources have denied any bid for new midfielder.