Lazio forward Felipe Anderson is set to sign a £3.1million-a-year contract with West Ham after they tabled a new offer worth £39.6million, according to a reliable journalist.
Gazzetta Dello Sport correspondent Nicolò Schira reported on his personal Twitter account late on Tuesday night that the Premier League outfit have lodged a fresh bid of £35.2million topped by a £4.4million performance-related bonus.
Schira explained that Anderson, 25, has reached agreement on the terms of a five-year deal worth £59,000-a-week and that he is “getting closer” to the London Stadium as talks intensify on the transfer fee.
Felipe #Anderson is getting closer to #WestHam that has risen their bid: €40M more 5M bonus to #Lazio. He’ll sign 5-years contract & €3,5M net in wages) #transfers #WHUFC
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) June 26, 2018
OPINION
There have been plenty of twists and turns in West Ham’s pursuit of Anderson over the last few weeks. The agonising nature of the on-off transfer has prompted many Irons to call on the club to look elsewhere for the quality forward they so badly need after Manuel Lanzini was ruled out for the entirety of next season. It appears those calls might be a little premature, as the London club are ready to blow their transfer record to smithereens to land a player who would cost £16million more than the current record, set with the £23million capture of Issa Diop last week. The near-£40million latest offer for Anderson is proof of West Ham’s intentions and shows how much they want the player. Is it likely to be enough to get the deal done? You would expect so, although the devil is likely to be in the detail, such as how likely are the bonuses to be triggered and the structure of payments. It is difficult to see West Ham upping their offer beyond this level.