West Ham United could have Premier League rivals Chelsea to thank if discussions over the future of Palmeiras midfielder Richard Rios go into overdrive during the coming days and weeks.
Whether or not there is any truth to the claims that West Ham had a £21.5 million bid for Richard Rios rejected, at this stage, remains uncertain.
One thing that can be said with far more clarity, however, is that a potential departure from the Allianz Parque is likely to speed up from here on in.
Brazilian reporter Jorge Nicola claimed that Palmeiras always planned to postpone any Richard Rios talks until their Club World Cup campaign came to an end. Now that it has – Palmeiras were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea in Saturday’s last-16 tie – the West Ham United faithful can expect to see Rios’ name feature pretty heavily in the gossip columns from here on in.
The man himself broke his own silence, meanwhile, during a rather sombre post-match interview at the Lincoln Financial Field.
Palmeiras star Richard Rios reacts to claims of a West Ham United bid
Rios can, at least, say that he held his own against the likes of Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and co. A good early sign, if indeed he does make the switch to England.
The 25-year-old former Flamengo ace assisted Palmeiras’ winner against Botafogo in the previous outing, and it was his probing pass into the penalty area which set up a thumping equaliser from the Chelsea-bound Estevao in Philadelphia.
Estevao, who agreed to join the Blues in a reported £29 million deal last summer, showed Enzo Maresca what he’s got to look forward to with a thumping finish off the underside of the crossbar.
Estavao’s future has already been decided. The same cannot be said of Rios, however, as Fabrizio Romano reports that Inter Milan moved for the one-time Brazilian Serie A champion this week.
“[Those rumours are] just speculation,” Rios told reporters shortly after Christopher Nkunku’s deflected 82nd minute cross put Chelsea in the quarter-finals at Palmeiras’ expense.
Rios also played down suggestions of a £21.5 million West Ham bid. As far as he knows, Palmeiras have received nothing official at this stage.
“I think that nothing has come to the club yet. Until something comes to the club, nothing is notified to me. So, there is no way for me to answer that question because nothing concrete has really come to me.”
While Kyle Macaulay has approved deals for El Hadji Malick Diouf and Oscar Mingueza – the club’s top two full-back targets – West Ham installed Raphael Onyedika as their priority midfield option thanks to their highly-rated head of recruitment.
Richard Rios, though, is another who ticks plenty of boxes. Especially during a summer in which West Ham are looking for energy, tenacity and genuine box-to-box athleticism.
“The midfielder is one of the most popular players in South America,” the aforementioned Nicola said back in June. “He had already entered the sights of Porto, Sporting, Manchester United and Tottenham, among others.”
Nicola believes that Palmeiras are looking to bring in a whole lot more than West Ham are reportedly offering at this stage.
“It is due to this great interest that Palmeiras dreams of a deal worth up to 40 million euros [£34 million],” he adds. “There is a real chance of business from July, especially if the 40 million euro [price-tag] is reached.”
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