West Ham United make £4.2million decision as bid submitted for Luizao

West Ham will tell Corinthians to pay a £4.2million permanent transfer fee for Brazilian defender Luizao if they loan him this summer, according to Bruno Andrade.

The Portuguese journalist posted on X (21 August) to report that the Irons want £4.2m for 70 per cent of the player's rights in order to sanction Luizao's loan to Corinthians, with negotiations already underway.

Corinthians have so far offered, "in principle", a permanent purchase option of £2.5m for the 22-year-old centre-back, who reportedly favours a move to the Sao Paulo side over other interested clubs in his native Brazil.

Luizao is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Hammers since signing for the club in 2022, but Julen Lopetegui's side still want to collect an additional £1.7m to approve a possible transfer away.

West Ham must stop penny-pinching and sanction Luizao transfer

The fact that Luizao has not made a first-team appearance for the Irons suggests he is a long way down the pecking order at the London Stadium, and unlikely to get a look-in any time soon.

The big-money transfer of Max Kilman and loan-to-buy signing of Jean-Clair Todibo have added to the club's already crowded centre-back stocks, with at least five ahead of Luizao in the Hammers' ranks.

At 22 though, Luizao needs to be playing football on a regular basis, and a return to his native São Paulo with Corinthians would provide that – potentially on a permanent basis.

An additional £1.7m in the Serie A club's buy option in a loan for Luizao appears to be small change given the groundbreaking levels of cash spent on new arrivals in East London this summer.

With Corinthians nowhere near as well-monied as the Irons, and Luizao a mile off Lopetegui's starting XI, sanctioning this loan regardless of the permanent purchase option is the best avenue for all parties.

In other West Ham news, Alan Shearer has been encouraged by what he has seen at West Ham despite defeat v Aston Villa.

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