Report shares West Ham United transfer stance on Sporting CP star Goncalo Inacio
West Ham are unlikely to spend big on a new defender amid links with Sporting CP ace Goncalo Inacio, according to Claret & Hugh.
Transfer website 90min reported on Monday (13 November) that West Ham scouts watched Inacio in action against Benfica at the weekend.
United were also said to be keeping a close eye on Benfica duo Joao Neves and Antonio Silva, as were scouts from other Premier League clubs.
However, Claret & Hugh cast doubt on those rumours on Tuesday (14 November) in an update on its website.
The post read: “It remains uncertain whether West Ham, under the management of Tim Steidten, would be willing to make a substantial financial commitment for a central defender likely to command a hefty fee.
“Whilst West Ham’s scouts may have been evaluating these players in Portugal, it seems unlikely that the club would sign all three overseas talents.”
Homegrown
Inacio certainly seems like a talented defender, but his £50million valuation is awfully high for West Ham on a relatively untested player.
Neves and Silva are also clearly in demand given the number of teams keeping tabs on them, but United will not want to engage in a bidding war.
As pointed out by Claret & Hugh, West Ham are also in need of some more homegrown players in the coming windows.
That is due to Conor Coventry, Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson all being on the verge of exiting London Stadium, meaning that particular quota will not be hit.
It is encouraging United are keeping a close eye on players across the continent, but whether they follow through with a bid is another matter.
But certainly in the case of Inacio, offering £50m just seems to be entirely out of the question at this point.
In other West Ham news, a manager tipped to replace David Moyes was in attendance at London Stadium for the game with Nottingham Forest.