West Ham United submit offer for Arthur Cabral, Benfica respond
West Ham United have had a loan offer rejected by Benfica for Brazilian forward Arthur Cabral, according to UOL.
On Monday (6 January), the Brazilian news outlet reported that the Hammers included a purchase option in the loan bid, but Benfica will only entertain permanent offers for Cabral.
As per GOAL (January 2022), the 26-year-old is a long-standing transfer target at the London Stadium and could finally find himself in the Premier League with Irons captain Jarrod Bowen expected to miss “a big chunk” of the season through injury.
West Ham United will need to cough up to land Arthur Cabral
The Hammers are one of the lowest-scoring sides in the Premier League, with only 24 goals scored in 20 matches this year.
With Bowen joining Michail Antonio on the sidelines after the Jamaican international was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after a road traffic collision, the priority in January turns to strengthening the forward line.
Furthermore, Niclas Fullkrug could be heading for the exit door in East London only five months after his arrival following talks with Juventus [TuttoJuve].
Cabral has not hit the heights he enjoyed at FC Basel in Europe, wherein he scored 46 goals in 77 Swiss Super League appearances after playing most of his career in his native Brazil.
He had a solid final year with Fiorentina before landing in Benfica, and while he is surplus to requirements in Portugal, his extensive top-flight European experience is an attractive prospect for the Hammers.
While the opportunities to sign a top-level forward in January will be limited, the Irons would do well to do better than Cabral due to his Champions League and Europa League experience, and he could be available for a low-risk cut-price fee.
However, Torino have also seen a loan offer rejected for the forward, so West Ham must act fast to land the Brazilian this month.
In other West Ham news, Karren Brady is pushing for an amazing Julen Lopetegui replacement at the Irons.
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