West Ham United have opened talks to sign Brazilian gem Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras, according to The Guardian.
The 18-year-old is highly rated in his native Brazil, and the Hammers are hoping to wrap up a deal for the youngster.
The Brazil under-20 international is valued at £25 million by Palmeiras, and the South American outfit will not stand in the way of his potential exit this summer.
Guilherme has made 17 appearances across all competitions for Palmeiras this season, returning a goal and an assist.
Despite his paltry numbers, he is regarded as a top talent and is one of several youngsters poised to trade South America for Europe this summer.
Guilherme’s versatility also caught the eye. He features primarily as a right winger but can also operate on the left or as an attacking midfielder.
Technical director Tim Steidten has identified the youngster as a target amid plans to reinforce the squad.
The plan is to overhaul Julen Lopetegui’s squad with a number of first-team stars already heading toward the London Stadium exit, and Guilherme could be our first summer signing.
West Ham should be focusing on more established stars
Guilherme only joined Palmeiras’ first team set-up in January last year and has made just 17 appearances for the senior side.
He has yet to accumulate any significant top-flight experience, and we should be looking to sign more established European stars instead of taking a chance on a youngster.
Guilherme may be an exciting talent, but we should be looking to shop in Europe for players who can hit the ground running in Lopetegui’s team.
Several key areas of the squad need to be reinforced, and spending £25m to sign an unproven talent with just two goal contributions in 17 games reeks of bad business.
Perhaps we should focus more on salvaging our deal to sign Flamengo centre-back Fabricio Bruno, which is reportedly in danger of breaking down due to personal terms.