Exclusive: West Ham submit John Victor bid
West Ham are the Premier League club to have submitted a £10million bid for Botafogo’s John Victor, sources have told Football Insider.
This comes after Football Insider revealed an unnamed club had joined Aston Villa, Wolves, and Burnley in the race for the 29-year-old’s signature, who impressed at the Club World Cup this summer.
West Ham have made an official move for the goalkeeper as they look to reinforce in the key position ahead of the new campaign.
The experienced shot-stopper has featured for Santos, Botafogo, and Real Valladolid over the last few seasons, catching the attention of multiple teams around Europe.
However, it was his standout performances over in America against the likes of PSG and Atletico Madrid that have caught the eye of several Premier League clubs this summer.
Graham Potter continues West Ham rebuild
Football Insider understood recently that West Ham would push financial regulations to complete new signings, and deals for Kyle Walker-Peters, El Hadji Malick Diouf, and Daniel Cummings have been announced.
Very few exits have been sealed in North London, though, with Mohammed Kudus the only senior player to depart, joining Tottenham on a £55million deal last month [BBC Sport].
Supporters are ready for the likes of Nayef Aguerd, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Luis Guilherme, and Guido Rodriguez all to find new homes, but there is a lack of activity at the London Stadium.
A new goalkeeper would go down very well with the West Ham faithful, though it does raise questions over the current players plying their trade between the sticks.
Alphonse Areola replacement on the cards
Alphonse Areola has already been slammed after making a mistake in the 2-1 defeat to Man United, bringing Ayden Heaven down in the box and allowing Bruno Fernandes to slot home the penalty.
Fans were not convinced by his abilities in the Premier League last season, making a number of handling errors to put the Hammers on the back foot, and Victor would certainly ease some of the tension.
It has become clear that solidifying the defence is a key target this summer for the new manager, with the Irons only conceding fewer goals than five other sides in the division last term.
Scoring will also be a concern, though, only netting more times than four clubs, including the relegated trio, and it remains unclear who will be available for the opening game against Sunderland.