According to Marca, River Plate rejected the Hammers’ initial bid of €7m (£6.4m) for right-back Gabriel Montiel and now the in-demand international is wanted by Bundesliga outfit Schalke 04. It’s claimed that the 23-year-old has a release clause of around €20m (£18m) and that River only holds 80% of the player with the remaining 20% being claimed by Montiel’s family and representatives.
In May Spanish website Estadio Deportivo claims that River Plate right back Gonzalo Montiel has verbally agreed a pre-contract with West Ham after first attempting to bring him to east London in January, only to be prevented by financial fair play regulations.
Previous reports suggested the defender could be available for a transfer fee in the region of £10m but was on condition that Montiel is unable to secure the necessary work permit, with his future ‘in the hands of the Home Office’.
Lanzini was quoted as saying to Diario Olé in his native Argentina “I think Montiel would fit in well at West Ham. I know they looked for him and couldn’t bring him in, he asked me and I spoke to him. The coach (Moyes) likes him. He likes to play with three or five defenders.”
Although Montiel is primarily a right-back he is also capable of filling in at centre back too if so required. He is often deployed as a ring winger for River plate who often play him in an attacking formation but he is said to possess excellent defensive skills as well as the ability to push forward.
In March 2019, Montiel was named in Argentina’s squad for friendlies against Venezuela and Morocco by manager and former Hammer Lionel Scaloni. On 22 March, Montiel made his debut against Venezuela. He has made 64 appearances since 2016 for Lanzini’s former team River Plate.
