West Ham may have a genius ulterior motive behind a new push to sign Brazil striker Pedro as talks are held over a reported £26m move.
Back in April Hammers News reported on claims that West Ham wanted to sign Brazil striker Pedro in the summer transfer window.
And we pointed out then that the 26-year-old forward is a very close friend of West Ham talisman Lucas Paqueta.
The 6ft 1in striker played in the same Flamengo youth side as his fellow Rio native Paqueta from 2007 until 2011.
They have remained close friends ever since, playing for Brazil’s youth and senior sides together too.
Now it seems West Ham have a genius ulterior motive behind a new push to sign Brazil striker Pedro as talks are held over a reported £26m move.
West Ham’s genius ulterior motive behind new push to sign Brazil striker Pedro as talks held over reported £26m move
West Ham’s diamond Paqueta has endured a difficult time off the pitch of late amid accusations being levelled against him over bets placed on the Hammers hero being booked.
And he had been linked with a big money move to Manchester City which collapsed as a result of the allegations he vehemently denies.
It was claimed back in April by Football Insider that West Ham want to reunite Paqueta with Pedro at the London Stadium this summer.
And it seems West Ham technical director Tim Steidten has taken to the skies again to try and do just that.
According to an exclusive from journalist Alan Nixon on Sunday evening, West Ham have started talks over a potential £26m deal for the Flamengo striker, who has scored 128 goals in Brazilian football but struggled after moving to Europe to play for Fiorentina between 2019 and 2021.
‘His profile is perfect for the Hammers’
“West Ham are trying to sign Flamengo’s Brazil international striker Pedro in a £26 million deal,” Nixon states on his Patreon page.
“Hammers want an extra forward and have started negotiations with the South American club for their hit man…
“His profile is perfect for Hammers who have been busy in the window and have recruited well.”
You can say that again.
West Ham are enjoying one of their best windows – on paper at least – for years. Exciting star Mohammed Kudus became the club’s fourth major summer arrival on Sunday.
And it seems the Hammers are wasting little time getting their next priority sorted – signing a striker.
It remains to be seen whether West Ham try to buy Pedro outright as claimed by Nixon or arrange a loan with option or obligation to buy.
But it’s a clever and cunning move from West Ham in terms of keeping their star man Paqueta happy and here for the long-term.
First and foremost he suits Moyes and his system but this a clever move from West Ham when it comes to keeping Paqueta long-term
Investigations into the allegations hanging over him tend to take a long time.
So pairing him with a close friend like Pedro can only make him feel even more at home in east London. Eddie Howe tried to do something similar by pairing Paqueta with best friend Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle last summer but he admitted he could not make the deal happen.
Clearly first and foremost it will come down to the fact Pedro is a player David Moyes likes the look of. And he certainly fits the criteria as he is the type of powerful, hard-working forward the Scot prefers.
But Paqueta will clearly have been asked for his input about his good friend as a player and character.
So this is a clever and intriguing deal which perhaps goes a bit deeper than your average transfer.