West Ham United have been joined by Newcastle United and Everton in their pursuit of Brazil international striker Yuri Alberto, with the Irons stepping up their interest according to TBR Football.
It’s been a mixed start to the season for Julen Lopetegui’s side as they sit 13th in the Premier League standings after nine games. They have won three, lost four and drawn two.
However, they are just six points off the top five as things stand, and will hope to turn things around in the coming weeks. Attention has already shifted to the upcoming transfer windows, and speculation surrounding the future of Corinthians striker, Alberto, has ramped up.
According to outlet TBR Football, the 23-year-old has been close to a move to the Premier League in the previous two windows. In January, Wolves were interested in the striker, and Southampton reportedly walked away from a deal over the summer due to the cost of the transfer.
Now, it has been claimed West Ham are pursuing a move for Alberto, along with Newcastle, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Brentford. The Hammers are rumoured to have pursued a move for the Brazilian back in 2023, but had a £14million bid rejected for the player.
Alberto began his career in his homeland of Brazil with Santos. He then spent time at Internacional before he joined Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg in January 2022.
He spent just one year with the club, and made just 15 appearances before he returned to Brazil on loan with Corinthians. That move was then made permanent in January last year, and he has gone on to make over 140 appearances for the club across all competitions, being labelled as ‘one of the best-performing forwards in world football right now’ in recent days.
After joining Corinthians in January 2023, Alberto signed a long-term four-year deal that expires in 2027. The article from TBR Football indicated the striker could be available on loan, which would make him an attractive prospect for a number of clubs in the Premier League.
West Ham bolstered their attacking ranks over the summer with the addition of Germany international Niclas Fullkrug. However, he is yet to score in his three Premier League appearances so far, and he has missed a significant number of games through injury.
Newcastle have been struggling in that position all season with injury issues for Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson and they look as though they need to bring in another player in that position.
Meanwhile, goals have been hard to come by for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto at Everton too, with a new option potentially being required at Goodison Park.
Stat courtesy of transfermarkt (correct as of 01/11/24).
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