West Ham United to accept terms of Wesley transfer to see off Crystal Palace interest
West Ham United are willing to accept a proposal by Corinthians to let attacking target Wesley Gassova stay in Brazil until January 2025, according to Goal.
The report by Thiago Fernandes [11 June] details that the 19-year-old’s current club are prioritising keeping him on their books until after the conclusion of the Brazilian domestic season in December.
West Ham are reportedly ready to join the agreement, with a fee set to be settled on this summer which would allow Wesley to become a Hammers player on 1 January.
This would fend off a host of interest in hijacking the move from clubs such as Milan, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis, along with Premier League duo Brighton and Crystal Palace.
“West Ham are not the only ones interested in having Wesley,” declared the report.
“Atletico de Madrid and Real Betis, both from Spain, Brighton and Crystal Palace, from England, and Milan, from Italy, have also shown interest in buying the 19-year-old.
“The Hammers, however, are the most active in the negotiations. The club is even willing to accept Corinthians’ imposition to have him in the squad from January 2025.”
Wesley to West Ham United gets closer – but not just yet
Despite Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui being keen to add to a transitioning West Ham squad as quickly as possible, the club are also mindful of what can be achieved in the long term transfer-wise.
Waiting until January would eventually benefit the East Londoners for more than one reason, once a fee has been agreed – an initial bid of around £12.6m was rejected but it is thought £16m could be sufficient.
Corinthians will much prefer to press ahead with the deal to take Wesley to the London Stadium after their season has finished, allowing the player to continue flourishing with five goals and three assists to his name in the 2024 campaign so far, and making it more likely that a sum considerably lower than the original £25m asking price will be accepted.
From a development perspective, this will also favour West Ham as they will receive a diamond with six months’ worth of extra polishing, amid Steidten’s Brazilian transfer mission which has seen Luis Guilherme and Fabricio Bruno the subjects of potential moves – to contrasting luck.
In other West Ham news, the club’s chase of Taiwo Awoniyi from Nottingham Forest has attracted attention.
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