West Ham United look to beat Brighton to in-demand 7-figure sensation with club ready to sell
West Ham are ready to go back into the Brazilian market to sign Vasca da Gama’s Rayan, according to TBR Football.
According to the outlet’s website on 16 October the Hammers are interested in signing the teenage winger, and his club are ready to sell for around £8.5million with his contract due to expire in 14 months.
West Ham are likely to face competition for the 18-year-old as a host of Premier League clubs are also following him, with Brentford, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest all in the frame.
But it is a European rival which looks set to be the main threat as Fiorentina lead the race, believing a £6m bid can land Rayan, while Atalanta, Sevilla and Union Berlin are also interested.
West Ham ready to move for Rayan deal from Vasco da Gama
Tim Steidten kicked off a summer of heavy recruitment with a talented young Brazilian winger when he, eventually, secured Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras.
The youngster only made a late debut off the bench in the 4-1 win over Ipswich just before the international break (5 October) as his signing has yet to have much of an impact at the London Stadium.
But the Hammers technical director is clearly looking to sign players for the present and the future so Rayan looks like being one for the latter category.
The teenager has become a semi-regular in the Vasco first-team this term and must be doing something right to attract interest from so many sides in the Premier League and across Europe.
And for the price quoted it would be a relative bargain for a side in the English top flight, so the time is likely right to strike as his club look to make the most of the last chance to get a reasonable fee.
Shopping in Brazil hasn’t been especially fruitful for the Irons in recent years, with Guilherme still to prove his £25m fee worthwhile [Fabrizio Romano, 11 June], and Luizao still yet to break into the first team at all.
Steidten also tried and failed to land the likes of Yuri Alberto and Pedro in his first summer after arriving from the Bundesliga.
But it doesn’t appear to have put him or the club off revisiting the same market and entering a crowded field for Rayan.
In other West Ham news, the Irons’ roll in a “seismic” Premier League development has emerged.
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