“It’s a lie” – Agent dismisses surprise claim club have ‘agreed to sell’ player to West Ham

Robert Renan’s agent Luiz Fernando Garcia has told Sport Express that West Ham United don’t have a deal in place to buy the Zenit Saint Petersburg player.

On Tuesday, UOL in Brazil said Corinthians would be a ‘bridge’ in the Russian club’s deal with the Hammers. It was claimed that Zenit has ‘agreed to sell’ the 20-year-old to West Ham for €25m.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they have been left out of the international banking system, Swift. Therefore, they cannot send and receive funds from Europe, meaning Zenit cannot collect a fee from David Moyes’ side for the centre-back.

UOL claim Zenit wanted to use Corinthians as a ‘bridge’ to help the Brazilian move to West Ham, and the former two have been discussing a potential loan deal for Renan.

They don’t explain how the Russian club can collect €25m from West Ham by sending the player on loan to the Brazilian club. That may not matter now since Renan’s agent has dismissed this claim.

“It’s a lie,” Luiz Fernando Garcia told Sport Express.

Renan joined Zenit from Corinthians at the start of this year and has a deal until 2028.