West Ham closing in on ‘one of the best’ centre-back prospects around – journalist

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West Ham United seem to have quickly put the Harry Maguire transfer saga behind them.

The Hammers reportedly pulled the plug on their move for Maguire as they ran out of patience.

West Ham have quickly set their sights on other players and are seemingly making good progress.

According to Rudy Galetti, the Hammers are “closer than ever” in pursuit of Luiz Felipe.

Apparently, West Ham got back in touch with Real Betis after the Maguire talks fell through.

They are “working to finalise the deal shortly,” Galetti added on his Twitter feed.

‘Pace, technique, strength, and personality’

West Ham are closing in on an outstanding defender talent in Felipe, who was deemed “one of the best prospects in the Serie A” when he was at Lazio.

At 26, he is heading into his prime, and has considerable experience at the highest level. He has 144 Lazio outings under his belt and 31 for Betis.

Giuseppe Sannino, his former coach at loan club Salernitana, previously told Tuttomercatoweb, as per The Laziali: “He amazed me with his personality and his flexibility in different roles.

“We played with three at the back similar to Lazio, and he played anywhere I needed him to in the backline – left, central, or right.

“With me, Luiz Felipe even played in a five-man defense. He has pace, technique, strength, and personality.”

With prior reports suggesting West Ham are in talks over a £17million deal for Felipe (Marca), it looks like he could be a bargain for the Hammers too.

There have also been reports suggesting West Ham are closing in on former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, so it’s all systems go at the London Stadium at the minute.