The Brazilian media today shares an interesting story about West Ham United’s quest for a centre-forward.
The tale was told in an interview in which ESPN journalist Eduardo Menezes interviewed spoke to influencer Racha XP.
The internet celebrity had been telling a story about meeting Lucas Paquetá at Vinícius Junior’s home in Madrid last month.
Paquetá apparently claimed that West Ham consulted him about a couple of strikers who play in Brazil.
“He (Paquetá) told me that West Ham wanted two Brazilian players and asked him between Yuri Alberto and Pedro. Then he said: ‘If you want a fast player, it’s Yuri Alberto, but if you want a player who can score goals, it’s Pedro’. I don’t know what happened after that. I think that’s what every club does, ask people their opinion.”
West Ham were indeed linked to Flamengo’s Pedro and Corinthians’ Yuri Alberto, both last summer.
The contact for Pedro didn’t get far, as Flamengo never wanted to sell the player, and used his €60m release clause to protect him.
The Hammers’ attempt for Yuri Alberto reportedly took place at the same stage, when it was said they tried the signing in the final week of the transfer window. A €18m offer was claimed back then, with Corinthians believing that was not enough to take him from the club.
