West Ham United are preparing a formal offer to sign Palmeiras centre-forward Vitor Roque in the winter transfer window, according to Fichajes.
The 20-year-old came to the limelight while on the books of Athletico Paranaense, where he netted 22 goals in 66 appearances for Paranaense. Several clubs across Europe were hot on his trail before Catalan giants Barcelona won the race to sign him.
However, things didn’t go as planned, as the forward struggled for gametime before being sent out on loan to Real Betis. He eventually secured a permanent move back to his home country to join Palmeiras in February of this year and was part of the Verdão side that reached the quarterfinals of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Roque has rediscovered his form, netting 13 goals and providing four assists for Abel Ferreira’s side this season, and a possible European return is on the cards with West Ham now keen on signing him.
This is according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, which claims that the Hammers have set their sights on the Brazilian centre-forward as they look to bolster their attack.
The report adds that the East London outfit are preparing a formal £34m offer to sign the one-cap Brazil international in the January transfer window.
Roque to West Ham
West Ham are looking to add a young, prolific goalscorer to their ranks and believe the Brazilian forward’s form with Palmeiras this season makes him an ideal fit to bolster their attack, according to the report.
West Ham’s campaign has been underwhelming so far, with the Hammers collecting just four points from a possible 18. Four defeats have left them sitting in 19th place, with an impressive 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest being their only win. That result was not enough to save Graham Potter from the sack, with Nuno Espirito Santo stepping in as his replacement.
Having begun his tenure as West Ham boss with a draw against Everton, the addition of a reliable centre-forward could significantly strengthen their survival bid.
Chris Wood and Raúl Jiménez both played pivotal roles under the Portuguese coach during his spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, highlighting the value of proven goalscorers in his system.
That said, the Hammers may be wiser to pursue a more experienced, Premier League-tested striker rather than spend £34m on Roque, who struggled to find his footing during his initial spell in Europe.
