West Ham United are doubling down on their Brazilian transfer strategy, with reports from Revista Colorada linking them to another defender – Vitao.
As C&H reported yesterday, the 24-year-old centre-back is currently on loan at Internacional in his native Brazil, but his ownership remains with war-torn Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk.
Vitao only played once for Palmeiras before Shakhtar, then managed by Paulo Fonseca, swooped him up.
The Hammers reportedly submitted a bid of around £6.8 million for Vitao, but face competition from Spanish side Villarreal.
Although Shakhtar Donetsk might be aiming for a closer to £10 million fee for the defender, according to the news outlet.
This reported move for Vitao comes after West Ham’s rumoured interest in striker Ruan Seko. It seems the East London club is looking to Brazil for reinforcements. Interestingly, former West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini was also linked with Vitao during his time at Real Betis.
The report suggests West Ham might have turned to Vitao after their pursuit of Flamengo’s Fabricio Bruno fell short.
West Ham must outbid Villarreal and potentially meet Shakhtar’s asking price to land Vitao.
This transfer saga highlights West Ham’s focus on revamping their defence, with a particular eye on the Brazilian market. They face competition, however, and will need to be strategic to secure their targets.
I mut admit that it has been confusing to understand which club actually has a contract with Vitao
Transfermarket suggests the player is contracted with Shakhtar until end of June 2024, then the player will move to Internacional on a free transfer at the beginning of July
However, a viewer of my video has suggested that Portuguese press confirmed Vitao was signed by Internacional on a permanent basis back in January, hence an offer (if there was one) being made to the Brazilian club and not to Shakhtar
https://youtu.be/Srf5SKaVEdA?si=YqacL_0Y2lKbRneq
Hello, Vitão has a pre-contract with the Brazilian team, so his rights starting from July 1st. Therefore, negotiations must be conducted with the Brazilians