Presenter ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United are looking at Sao Paulo midfielder Pablo Maia, but are not as close to signing him as some reports have suggested.
It seems as though the Hammers are really keen to explore the South American talent pool and have had their scouts over in that part of the world of late.
Indeed, the club recently announced that they have signed ‘promising Brazilian defender’ Luizao, who will arrive from Sao Paulo when the January transfer market opens.
According to reports in the Brazilian media, it seems as though West Ham are really keen on signing teammate Maia and even had a loan offer with a ‘defined purchase price’ rejected.
However, while talking about the player on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex stated that while interest is real, things have not quite heated up to the stage of an official move just yet.
He said: “It was reported elsewhere that we were looking at a guy called Pablo Maia. Now, he is one of a few players on a big list of potential signings, but we haven’t actually made a move for him.
“The report that linked him to us was too far, in the sense that it said that we’re really keen on signing him. He was one of a few that have been identified, and there has been no real talks with his club, which is Sao Paulo – the same as Luizao.
“So he could be one that we move for. There’s about 5-6 others that we could do, depending on how far we get with negotiations.”
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TIF Thoughts on Pablo Maia and West Ham…
Brazilian journalist Andre Hernan (via Sport Witness) claimed the Hammers are believed to be ‘internally discussing’ the possibility of making an offer, but Premier League rivals Southampton are also keen on the player.
It remains to be seen just how interested West Ham really are in Maia, but he certainly seems to be on the club’s radar at the very least. Still only 20 years old, he certainly seems to be a promising talent.
Indeed, despite his tender age, he has already played over 60 times for the senior Sao Paulo team having come through their academy to establish himself as a regular for the first team.