West Ham are on the verge of beating Aston Villa in the race to sign Villarreal attacker Pablo Fornals, according to Claret & Hugh.
The reliable Hammers news website claim that Villa came in with late interest to try and snap up the 23-year-old, but that has caused the Irons to accelerate the deal and it is understood they are now within 48 hours of an official announcement.
Claret & Hugh reports that West Ham have now agreed a fee with Villarreal and while Fornals is yet to sign a contract with the London club, he is expected to do so in the next couple of days.
Good move for West Ham?
Fornals is a good player and is one that West Ham fans should be very excited to see in claret and blue next season at the London Stadium.
Although Villarreal had a poor season by their standards in La Liga, Fornals scored five goals and supplied six assists in 50 appearances across all competitions from the attacking midfield area.
He can play behind a striker or on either wing, so it will be interesting to see where Manuel Pellegrini plays him next term.
Villa’s late interest in Fornals has appeared to be a blessing in disguise because the club is now on the verge of their third signing of the summer when a lot of their Premier League rivals are yet to do anything.
Getting business done early is always a better approach to the summer.
This is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
It would be a shock if this did not go through now.
Multiple news outlets are reporting that this deal is all but done and West Ham should have themselves a new player before the weekend starts.
This is Futbol rating 10/10