West Ham have made enquiries for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness).
The Italian newspaper claims that both the Hammers and Everton have been in contact with Juve about securing the Brazilian international’s services.
Arthur has been on loan at Fiorentina this season. He has been a regular starter for the Viola, having made 47 appearances in all competitions.
The Serie A side do have the option to sign the 27-year-old on a permanent basis for €20m (£17m) but they decided earlier this year that they wouldn’t be triggering their option.
Arthur will, therefore, be returning to Turin at the end of next month. Juventus are not interested in keeping him around as he is not part of the club’s first-team plans.
The midfielder also has two years left to run on his £90,000 a week after tax contract, and the Bianconeri are very keen to get him off the wage bill.
The Brazilian has played in England before
Arthur was loaned out to Liverpool at the start of the 2022/23 season but he only played one match for the Reds; 13 minutes in a Champions League group fixture against Napoli.
One of the reasons for his lack of game time was a thigh injury that kept him on the sidelines for three months, but he wasn’t even selected by manager Jurgen Klopp on his return to fitness.
West Ham need ball-playing midfielders
New manager Julen Lopetegui has a very different footballing philosophy to David Moyes so technical director Tim Steidten is likely to have been tasked with recruiting players who fit his style of play.
Arthur could well be considered as a cheap solution to add technical ability in the middle of the park but we shall see if the Hammers do firm up their interest in the player.
