West Ham United are reportedly in talks with Flamengo to sign 20-year-old prospect Lazaro and have seen an offer of £5 million get rejected.
According to GE Globo, West Ham United have shown a serious interest in signing Lazaro from Brazilian club Flamengo and are in talks to get the deal over the line before the transfer window closes in ten days.
Having come through the ranks at Flamengo, Lazaro made his first-team breakthrough for the Brazilian giants in September 2020. Since then, he has gone on to make over 50 appearances, of which 40 have come in the 2022 season, with the attacking midfielder having 15 goal contributions (eight goals, seven assists).
A central attacking midfielder by trade, Lazaro has also exhibited great versatility this season, having played everywhere along the left flank. He has also been used as a centre-forward on occasions. This versatility and the potential that he has displayed in his short senior career have seemingly impressed West Ham United.
The Hammers have had a solid transfer window so far, with David Moyes strengthening almost all the problem areas that needed to be addressed this summer. However, West Ham did fail to land an attacking midfielder, with their efforts to land former Manchester United ace Jesse Lingard proving futile.
West Ham approaches Flamengo for offensive midfielder Lázaro. £6m bid opening proposal has been rejected, Flamengo want more than this as @thalesoares reported. ?⚒️?? #WHUFC
Negotiations will continue as many clubs are keen on signing Lázaro. pic.twitter.com/zrIHxEqpn3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 20, 2022
Lingard opted to snub a chance to return to the London Olympic Stadium in favour of a transfer to Nottingham Forest. With West Ham also parting ways with Nikola Vlasic, West Ham United could do with another attacking midfield addition to their roster, which could explain the interest in Lazaro.
As per the report, West Ham United have already tabled an offer worth £5 million for Lazaro, but it has been rejected by Flamengo, who are demanding £10 million for their exciting asset. On top of that, it is also claimed that the Brazilian outfit might wish to retain some percentage of the player’s rights for future sales. There is a possibility of West Ham beefing up the bid by offering add-ons and bonuses.
Talks are ongoing between Flamengo and West Ham over a move, and with the transfer window set to end on September 1, it will be interesting to see if the east London side can close the deal to sign Lazaro.
