OPINION
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has been one of the busiest bosses in the Premier League during the current transfer window, but it does not look like the Irons’ business is close to slowing up.
The Hammers have already made five new senior signings since the window swung open, and there are some notable names among the new recruits, including former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere and Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmalenko.
The London Stadium faithful are unlikely to want to see their summer business stop any time soon, and with a reported offer on the table for Brazilian forward and free agent Bernard, the east London side could be close to making their most exciting swoop of the summer.
Portuguese publication O Jogo claim in their print edition, as translated by reliable sports news website Sports Witness, that West Ham have made an offer to blow rivals Benfica out the water in the hunt for his capture, with a £6.1million (€7million) signing on fee and a weekly wage in the region of £68,000 (€4million-a-year) on the table.
The 5’3″ (source: Transfermarkt) winger, who left Shakhtar Donetsk at the end of his contract this summer, scored 10 goals and chipped in with four assists last season, and with 14 caps for Brazil under his belt, has experience on both the domestic and international stage.
With Manuel Lanzini out of action for the foreseeable future, a replacement is needed, and the reported offer for Bernard suggests they could be close to filling the gap with a fellow South American.
Yarmalenko, Wilshere and the rest of the West Ham signings are all good reinforcements, but Bernard is the sort of player who is going to get fans out of their seats, and as such could be the most exciting signing of their summer.