West Ham are one of three Premier League clubs who are interested in signing Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo, according to TuttoJuve.com.
The Brazilian international has spent the season out on loan at Fiorentina and, while he has had a good campaign for the Viola, Juve will look to offload him on a permanent basis this summer.
Fiorentina actually do have the option to buy Arthur for €20m (£17m) but it was revealed by journalist Fabrizio Romano last month that the Serie A side will not trigger the clause.
It means the former Barcelona player will be seeking a new team once again at the end of the season.
Arthur has played in the Premier League before
The 27-year-old spent last season on loan at Liverpool. The Reds paid a €4.5m loan fee to secure his services, with the Merseysiders needing reinforcements due to an injury crisis.
However, Arthur was quickly added to the casualty list, having to undergo surgery on a thigh injury. When he returned to fitness, he was no longer needed by manager Jurgen Klopp, who gave him just 13 minutes in a Champions League group match against Napoli.
Why would West Ham be interested in the midfielder?
Arthur would provide the Irons with a different kind of option in the middle of the park. He likes to play as a deep-lying playmaker, dictating the tempo of the game with his accurate passing.
Even so, the Brazilian isn’t the most athletic of players, which does leave big question marks about what role he would play in David Moyes‘ team. He isn’t exactly a goal threat either, having scored 0 goals and contributed just 2 assists in 37 appearances for Fiorentina so far this campaign.
