West Ham appear to have found an alternative defender after growing frustrated in their pursuit of Flamengo’s Fabrício Bruno.
Hammers director of football Tim Steidten has remained in Brazil, working to conclude deals for Luis Guilherme (which has proven successful) and Fabrício Bruno. However, he has now turned his attention to Vitão.
West Ham have continued to look for a defender in the Brazilian market and sees Vitão, a Colorado player, as a viable option. Quite why there is an insistance on recruiting a Brazilian defender is unknown, but with Max Kilman being quoted at £40m the answer could simply be value.
Following reports that Fabrício Bruno backed out of negotiations, Steidten opened talks with Vitão’s representatives from Internacional and is considering formalising a proposal to the Brazilian club. The information was initially brought by “Revista Colorada” and confirmed by GOAL.
West Ham are thought to be preparing an initial offer of 8 million euros. Internacional, in turn, expects to receive at least 10 million euros. Colorado owns 80% of the athlete’s economic rights, with the remaining 20% belonging to his representatives which will need to be completely dealt with before any transfer is ratified due to third party ownership rules . . . something we know all about unfortunately.
