It is a race to see who will become the first West Ham United signing of the summer, and with that, the first player acquired during the Julen Lopetegui era. It could be Palmeiras forward Luis Guilherme, or Flamengo central defender Fabricio Bruno (whom we covered here).
We’ll have another update on Bruno shortly, but for now, let’s focus on Guilherme.
Numerous outlets say that the Hammers are in “advanced talks” to sign the Brazilian winger born in 2006, but the gold standard for transfer news, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, tweeted that personal terms have already been agreed upon.
Well, “personal terms reached” and “in advanced talks” are not mutually exclusive, are they.
So now it is all about reaching agreement on the transfer fee.
The Hammers have submitted a bid worth £25 million plus 20% of the sum on any potential future sale to another club.
???? More on West Ham and Luis Guilherme exclusive story.
West Ham have agreed also personal terms with 2006 born talent, salary and contract ready.
Talks at final stages with Palmeiras on €30m fee plus 20% future sale, West Ham are almost there — cautious until the end. pic.twitter.com/80d4cBrzf8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 31, 2024
Guilherme is considered one of the best young talents in all of Brazil. The same could be said for two of his highly-rated teammates, Estevão Willian (who is set to join Chelsea) and Endrick, who begins his stint with Real Madrid in July.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.