Surprising claim that West Ham player could leave ‘on a free transfer’ – Will ‘basically’ cost club ‘nothing’

Earlier on Monday, Paolo Paganini, an Italian journalist, made an appearance on Si Gonfia La Rete on Radio Marte, and there was a lot to unpack.

Among the many topics he touched upon was Felipe Anderson to Lazio, as the West Ham winger looks increasingly likely to return to his former club this summer.

The Brazilian has struggled to find any space under David Moyes, which led to an unsuccessful loan to Porto, and we found ourselves with talk of a move to Italy for ‘minimum compensation’.

Except that, according to Paganini, it could be even be for nothing.

Relayed by Napoli Magazine, he said: “Felipe Anderson to Lazio? Basically, it’s an operation that costs nothing. He should arrive on a free transfer. He would be the first winger asked for by Maurizio Sarri, but Lazio will invest on the other”.

In case you were wondering if this was some sort of joke, his quotes also appear on other websites, such as Casa Napoli and Area Napoli.

Now, there’s every chance he’s wrong, but if he’s right, then it means that West Ham truly are desperate to let Felipe Anderson go.