Fluminense have distanced themselves from reports suggesting that West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini could move to Brazil when his contract at the Premier League outfit expires.
We have already seen this week just what an impact a poorly-translated article can make.
Manchester United’s share price was sent rocketing when a Qatari publication shared a rumour from a less-than-knowledgeable ‘ITK’ suggesting that Sheikh Jassim had been successful in his purchase of the Old Trafford outfit.
According to Brazilian reporter Jorge Nicola, something similar occurred regarding West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini.
A Turkish publication, Nicola says, mistakenly suggested that the Argentina international could be on his way to Fluminense. What the original piece was actually saying, however, is that Lanzini had already taken in a spell at the Tricolor before joining the Hammers for a fee of around £10 million back in 2015.
Manuel Lanzini is leaving West Ham
“There is nothing in (the rumours) regarding Fluminense,” Nicola explains.
“Before recording this video, I talked to a source from the Tricolor. This person said there are no financial conditions (for signing Manuel Lanzini). The tendency is for him to go to Turkey and not play for any clubs here (in Brazil).”
Lanzini’s West Ham contract expires next month. Given that one of the club’s longest-serving players started only six games in all competitions last term – half of those coming in the Conference League en route to Prague – an extension feels unlikely.
A return to Fluminense is currently not on the cards. But perhaps Lanzini could end up back at another of his former clubs.
“I would go back to River Plate. Obviously, I would love to,” the 30-year-old playmaker said back in 2021. “I think it will happen. When the two parties agree, it will happen.”
River president Rodolfo D’Onofio would later admit that Lanzini ‘had the desire’ to re-trace his steps at the Argentine giants, but was simply too expensive at the time.
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