Fulham are reportedly ready to fork out €6-7 million to sign 20-year-old Brazilian defensive powerhouse Luizao from Sao Paulo but will have to pay more to secure his signature.
According to South American football journalist Jorge Nicola, as relayed by Sport Witness, Fulham were prepared to shell out between €6-7 million for the services of Sao Paulo’s central defensive powerhouse, Luizao, to get ahead of the competition, with West Ham and Nottingham Forest also keen on the 20-year-old.
But the Cottagers will need to match the Brazilian outfit’s asking price of around €10 million to reach an agreement over a 2023 move for the defensive prodigy.
Luizao is a central defender who has broken into the Sao Paulo senior team over the last six months and has earned a decent number of minutes under his belt in recent times, making 10 Brazilian Serie A appearances so far this season.
But he has managed to impress in the Copinha tournament and subsequently has caught the eye of a host of European clubs, with Premier League sides’ names in particular cropping up.
The 20-year-old has now entered the final few months of his contract with the Brazilian Serie A outfit, and with his deal expiring on January 31, he can be snapped up for nothing as part of a pre-contract arrangement.
It was recently reported that West Ham had an offer on the table for the player, but he rejected the proposal. This is because of additional demands he made to the Hammers were not fulfilled, including a substantial fee to be paid to his current club, Sao Paulo.
Despite the chance to sign a pre-agreement with any overseas club, it’s said Luizao’s camp are thought to be unwilling to do so. Furthermore, the defender would rather provide Sao Paulo with some form of financial incentive for his departure than leave for nothing.
This stance has left his potential European transfer at a crossroads, with several clubs only interested in signing him as a free agent next year as a Bosman transfer will negate the risks. Fulham, for one, are not one of them but will have to up their valuation to come to an agreement with the Brazilian club to acquire the defender in 2023.
Fulham boss Marco Silva will undoubtedly be looking for a new centre-half in the January transfer window. The Cottagers have shipped a whopping 20 goals from their 11 league games, with only three sides boasting a worse defensive record in the division.
The summer acquisitions of Shane Duffy and Issa Diop haven’t gone according to plan, with Tim Ream oddly the only defender performing at the Premier League level. Despite this, Fulham are currently sitting in the top half of the Premier League table thanks to their firing attack.
Luizao is a tenacious and combative young defender with a battle-hardened South American mindset. Standing at 6ft 1in, he is commanding in the air and a very good tackler. He possesses all of the athleticism and qualities required to thrive in English football and could prove to be a clever signing for the Cottagers in the long term.
With both West Ham and Nottingham Forest watching the defender’s situation closely, it remains to be seen whether Marco Silva’s side can secure his signature ahead of the competition.
