West Ham and Chelsea have both tabled an “offer” for Corinthians winger Wesley Gassova, according to Foot Mercato.
The French website claims that the two Premier League sides are competing with several other clubs for the teenager’s signature.
Napoli and Porto have also shown an interest in Wesley but it is believed the biggest threat comes from Nice and other French teams.
Foot Mercato claim that the 19-year-old and his entourage prefer to join a Ligue One side before going on to play at a “higher” level, such as the Premier League, in the future.
What do West Ham fans need to know about the player?
The forward has already made 72 senior appearances for Corinthians, having made his debut against Portuguesa-RJ in the Copa do Brasil back in April 2022.
Wesley is a left winger by trade, cutting in onto his stronger right foot. It is fair to say that he hasn’t really found his scoring touch yet, having only hit the back of the net 7 times at first-team level. There are justifiable concerns about whether he is ready to make the step up to the English top-flight. A move to France may well be better for his development.
One important thing to note is that Chelsea do have a feeder club, Strasbourg, in Ligue One, so that may also give them an advantage over the Hammers in negotiations, as the Blues could offer to loan him out.
How much would Wesley cost?
It is believed that Corinthians are holding out for around €20m (£17m) for the Brazilian youth international. Considering West Ham paid more for Luis Guilherme, who has played fewer senior games, it is not a valuation that can really be argued with.
Based on what we know, though, it seems Wesley may end up moving to Nice or another team across the channel anyway.
