West Ham United consider formal bid to sign Vitão as 80% ownership twist emerges
West Ham United have “opened talks” with Internacional defender Vitao following the collapse in talks with Fabricio Bruno,according to Goal Brazil.
The Hammers are initially going to offer around £6.8m to acquire the Brazilian defenders’ services.
However, Internacional believe that they can get around £8.5m for the youngster, who’s set to join them permanently despite his loan from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Although this seems like a fairly straightforward negotiation, the ownership of Vitao is split between two parties.
Eighty per cent of the player’s value belongs to Internacional whilst the remaining belongs to the defenders’ agents.
Why the acquisition of Vitao could be ideal for West Ham United this summer
Despite this ownership clause emerging, the defender could be an ideal transfer for the London-based club.
The Hammers announced their retained list on June 5 and among those released was veteran, Angelo Ogbonna.
The Italy international has been a consistent player within West Ham’s squad and has rarely put a foot wrong.
However, at the age of 36, the centre-back is entering his twilight years and may not be up to the standards required for a Premier League side chasing European football.
Since arriving in London during the 2015/16 season, the Italy international has played a total of 249 games and has contributed to 14 goals.
Thirteen of which have been scored by the defender with his sole assist coming in the Premier League during the 2018/19 term.
So, with the 36-year-old departure now confirmed, it’s crucial that the Hammers sign a centre-back this summer.
Hence, why, the addition of Vitao could be vital for the teams’ success in the 2024/25 campaign.
The fact that the defender is 12 years younger than Ogbonna but has made more appearances this season outlines how mature he is as a player.
And, although the numbers in the region of £6.8m and £8.5m are being thrown around, as the defender signed a five-year deal at the start of the season a deal could easily go higher than these numbers.
In other West Ham news, the club are positioned to sign a new player despite a transfer threat from Tottenham.
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