Daniel Feliciano

Mon 29 May 2023 13:20, UK

West Ham United have sent scouts to the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina to watch Brazilian starlet Marcos Leonardo, according to Fichajes.net (28 May).

The Santos striker has attracted the attention of the likes of Barcelona this season, but the Hammers are said to have had a bid rejected for him in January.

But according to a new report that hasn’t stopped their interest and they are currently watching him during the youth tournament along with several other clubs ahead of a potential summer move.

“According to sources close to him, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Roma are among the teams that are watching Marcos Leonardo,” they wrote. 

“Furthermore, several Premier League clubs have also shown great interest in the Brazilian striker. West Ham, who tried to sign Leonardo in the January transfer window without success, have been present at the tournament in Argentina to keep a close eye on the player.

“Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham are also known admirers of Leonardo’s talent.”

Talent

Leonardo is a very talented young player, but it’s hard to see how he fits into the current West Ham squad.

Playing as a striker or on the wings, it’s arguably the area on the pitch where we are the most stacked and most well balanced too.

Gianluca Scamacca, Danny Ings and Michail Antonio currently occupy the centre forward positions and while there question marks over some of their futures, it’s unlikely that Leonardo would be able to immediately step into any of their shoes as a ready-made option.

Out wide the same can be said with Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma being first-choice but with Maxwel Cornet and Pablo Fornals able to step in as back-up options, while Lucas Paqueta also exists and can play across the forward line if needed.

There’s no doubting the quality that Leonardo has, but competing against some of the clubs mentioned means that any deal is likely to expensive and West Ham should have different priorities this summer.