At last, some good news for West Ham United as the Premier League outfit scour the entire footballing world for a new number nine.
In the first eleven days of the transfer window, Graham Potter has officially missed out on Liam Delap to Chelsea despite a handful of pundits arguing that the former Ipswich Town talisman was better off at West Ham.
Yuri Alberto appears ready to commit his future to Corinthians, Jonathan Burkhardt is heading to Eintracht Frankfurt, and Strasbourg have set out their stall on Emanuel Emegha. A forward in the crosshairs of West Ham United and Chelsea will not leave the Ligue 1 overachievers without a considerable fight.
Brazil international Igor Jesus is joining Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, as Jonathan David rebuffs West Ham’s advances in favour of a potential switch to Italian champions Napoli.
But do not despair.
There are still plenty of talented centre-forwards on the market. And one of those – Lazio hitman Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos – is keeping the door to English football ajar while slamming the shutters down on Saudi Arabia.
Lazio star Taty Castellanos rejects Saudi Arabia in West Ham United boost
According to La Lazio Siamo Noi, a Rome-based publication who specialise in all things Biancocelesti, Castellanos is back on West Ham’s radar.
Castellanos famously destroyed Real Madrid in his Girona days with four goals in the space of 50 remarkable minutes. Since swapping La Liga for Serie A in 2023, the Argentina international has continued to burnish his growing reputation.
Castellanos scored 14 goals for Lazio last season, with one thrilling volley against Genoa typical of a man who tends to specialise in the spectacular.
Italian reporter Alfredo Pedulla explained this week, via Sport Italia, that Lazio are open to offers providing they arrive in excess of £30 million.
Tuttomercatoweb, meanwhile, provide an update of their own. An update which should give the West Ham bosses confidence that a deal is there to be struck, provided Graham Potter is given the funds he needs to rebuild an unbalanced squad that is.
TMW explain that Castellanos has rejected the head-spinning, generational-wealth-achieving wages on offer in Saudi Arabia. The 26-year-old wants to stay in Europe in order to boost his hopes of leading the line for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup.
Castellanos, who is also on the radars of Wolves and Crystal Palace, would reportedly welcome Premier League advances.
“Castellanos is a strong player. An extraordinary guy,” former Lazio coach Marco Baroni said last season of his flamboyant number eleven. “He has jumping ability, quality, technique, and works hard for the team.”
Castellanos was wanted by West Ham while at New York City FC
This is not the first time the former Major League Soccer Golden Boot winner has found himself in the Hammers crosshairs.
And a fatigued fanbase cannot help but point out the irony in targeting Castellanos three years after West Ham tried and failed to sign the Argentine during his coming-of-age spell across the Atlantic with New York City FC.
West Ham reportedly saw an £8.5 million bid rejected back in January 2022. Flash forward to June 2025, and a bid in that region would not even get Lazio picking up the phone.
Still, better late than never.
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