The Lyon right-back would be a useful addition to the West Ham United squad.
According to a report from the London Evening Standard, West Ham right-back Ryan Fredericks has been ruled out for three months with a shin injury.
The news will come as a real blow for the Hammers, who will now have to rely on 33-year-old Pablo Zabaleta until at least the end of February.
With this in mind, West Ham will surely be looking for reinforcements in the right-back position in January, and a useful option for them could be Lyon ace Rafael da Silva.
The 28-year-old joined the Ligue 1 outfit from Manchester United in 2015, for a fee believed to be worth in the region of £3.5 million, and he has gone on to make 108 appearances for the French side.
His contract is due to expire in the summer of 2019, however, so Lyon might just be tempted to sell him in January, rather than lose him for nothing six months later.
Rafael is a truly top class performer, and has a truly impressive footballing CV – one that includes three Premier League titles, a league cup winner’s medal and two Champions League runner-up medals.
The Brazilian is incredibly quick, and is just as much of a threat going forward as he is an asset defensively.
And if West Ham can pick him up for a bargain fee in January, it could turn out to be a real coup for the east London outfit.
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