According to Lance, West Ham are preparing a bid for Palmeiras midfielder Danilo, a player who is also on the radar of Premier League rivals Arsenal.
What’s the story?
Well, talk of West Ham readying a bid comes after Esportes claimed Arsenal had submitted an offer worth R$160 million (£20.89m).
Lance believe Palmeiras are preparing to sell Danilo as they look to balance their finances.
It is also said that Arsenal are willing to up their offer by €5m (£4m) if the Brazilian giants reject their initial bid.
By the sounds of it, the Gunners – and West Ham – will need to pay a bit more than a sum in the region of £25m.
Lance state that Danilo has a release clause worth €100m (£83m) in his contract, which runs until June 2025.
That would mean Mikel Arteta and David Moyes would need to smash their club’s respective transfer records to sign the Brazilian maestro.
As things stand, Arsenal’s club-record signing is Nicolas Pepe for £72m, whereas the £45m spent on Sebastien Haller is West Ham’s biggest deal.
Why do Arsenal and West Ham want Danilo?
£83m is a lot to pay for a 20-year-old, but the Premier League duo clearly see something special in the South American wonderkid.
Danilo is able to play in a defensive midfield role, as well as in central midfield or even further forward in a No.10 position (Transfermarkt).
This versatility will surely interest Arteta and Moyes, although they shouldn’t expect many goal involvements from him.
So far in his short career, Danilo has only scored five goals in 83 appearances, while also providing five assists.
Clearly, he is someone who prefers to impact play from deep, rather than burst into the final third and look to threaten the goal.
For £83m, you would hope he could do both.
Nevertheless, we mustn’t forget Danilo is only 20, so he has many years left to broaden his abilities and improve – only time will tell where he hones his immense potential.
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