West Ham United news as update emerges in pursuit of Real Betis defender Luiz Felipe
West Ham have cooled their interest in signing Real Betis defender Luiz Felipe this summer, according to Diario AS.
The Spanish newspaper reported on its website on 23 August that the Hammers have ended their pursuit of the Italy international after securing the signing of Konstantinos Mavropanos from VfB Stuttgart on 22 August.
It said the option of the “excellent” 26-year-old joining the Irons is now “impossible” following the arrival of the Greek international, with the La Liga side “disappointed” about the latest development.
This update comes as no real surprise as it was always highly unlikely that West Ham would sign more than one central defender this summer.
David Moyes was looking to add another option at the back and a deal for Mavropanos was quite quickly concluded by the Hammers’ standards.
A deal for the Greek probably makes more sense as he is a taller centre-back than the Betis man and Moyes was keen to add more of a presence to the heart of his backline.
The club’s focus now looks to be on improving our forward options as we look to replace Gianluca Scamacca and add more goals to the side after struggling to find the back of the net last season.
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West Ham United transfer news emerges as Jhon Solis confirms contact
West Ham United have made contact with top-flight Colombian side Atlético Nacional regarding their midfielder Jhon Solis, according to Caracol Radio.
The Colombian radio network reported on its website (22 August) that the Hammers and Brighton had “entered the bidding” for the 18-year-old who was described as “one of the men of the moment in Colombian soccer” following many outstanding performances.
The report also claims that Nacional had accepted a bid from either West Ham or Brighton for £943,000 for the Colombian who has made 24 league appearances since 2022 and has featured seven times for his country at youth level.
While Solis’ name is virtually unheard of among Premier League fans, his quick rise through the ranks at Nacional suggests he could be a top talent in the making.
With the Hammers and the Seagulls all sending scouts to watch the teenager in the flesh, he could be a prospect for the future.
He had recently been on the radar of Portuguese giants Porto, with Nacion Futbol reporting (30 May) that the club had been tracking him, so he has been catching the eye of top European sides for a while.
Solis broke into the Nacional first team in 2022 after being an academy regular but earned regular starting positions from the start of 2023.
The teenager operates as a central midfielder mostly, but per TransferMarket he has played as both an attacking midfielder and right-mid. He is very skilled at reclaiming possession in key central areas, while his ability to keep the ball with his close control and technique allows him to spring progressive passes to forwards.
While goalscoring does not seem to be part of his game, having yet to get on the scoresheet in the Colombian league, early glimpses of him suggest that he has the profile to develop into a quality player.
At such a young age and with a low fee, it may be worth a gamble to bring the exciting youngster from Colombia to Stratford.
