West Ham Set To Battle Arsenal And Two Other Clubs For 22 Year Old Defender

West Ham Set To Battle Arsenal And Two Other Clubs For 22 Year Old Defender

West Ham have joined the likes of AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen in the race to sign Real Betis right-back Emerson Royal, according to reports in Italy.

The Brazilian, who has also been linked with Arsenal in recent days, has had a good season for Betis, having scored one goal and contributed four assists in 24 league appearances.

There is, though, one big complication in securing a deal for Emerson. When the 22-year-old joined Betis in 2019, the deal was done in conjunction with Barcelona.

Barca signed him from Sao Paulo for €12.7m, but Betis agreed to pay half the fee on the proviso they could keep him until 2021. With the two-year agreement now coming to an end, it is up to the Catalan club whether they want to sign him outright for €6m.



Were that to happen, it is not known whether they would be willing to sell him this summer. Considering the Hammers already have a top-class right-back in Vladimir Coufal, it would be a surprise if they get involved in the battle to sign Emerson.