West Ham now just £4.3m away from deal for 'complete' and 'unique' striker

West Ham United have been heavily linked with Yuri Alberto in recent months.

The Hammers have been busy bolstering their ranks in August. They could yet make more signings before the transfer window shuts.

Back in June, Goal Brasil claimed that West Ham were one of several Premier League sides eyeing the Corinthians forward.

More recently, Dharmesh Sheth claimed on X that Alberto was a potential target for the Hammers in the latter stages of the window.

This week, West Ham apparently made an attempt to sign the 22-year-old, but his club rejected the Hammers’ offer.

Journalist Samir Carvalho has provided an update on the state of play involving West Ham, Alberto and Corinthians on UOL.

He claims that the Hammers offered €20million (around £17.2million).

This is a little over the price that some other Brazilian outlets have reported, according to Carvalho.

Now, Alberto’s club has reportedly set a price of €25million (£21.5million) to let their asset go.

Apparently, the player’s transfer rights are a big reason for his club playing hardball in negotiations.

It’s said that they only own 50 percent of Alberto’s transfer rights, with the remaining 50 percent of the fee going to Zenit.

As a result, upping the player’s price tag to €25million would maximise returns for both clubs.

Our view

This is fairly good news for West Ham if true. It suggests Corinthians are indeed open to selling, albeit for a higher price tag.

The Hammers are now just £4.3million away from potentially striking a deal with Alberto’s club over his signature.

Alberto looks like he’d be a good signing for West Ham, a potential star in the making.

He’s fast, is an excellent dribbler, very composed in front of goal, and can play across the whole front line.

Total Football Analysis sung his praises in an in-depth scouting report last year.

‘Yuri Alberto is a complete centre-forward who is able to press, create, and score,’ they wrote.

‘He is very intelligent in his movement and positioning but also has the flair and skill to entertain.’

They also labelled him a ‘very active’ and ‘dynamic’ striker with a ‘very unique playing style’.

Let’s see what happens in the coming days, but this looks like a fairly solid lead still.