‘Demanding Even More’ – West Ham Face Needing To Dig Deep For Lecce Man
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West Ham United will need to dig deep into their pockets for their transfer target, Tiago Gabriel, as Lecce are ‘demanding even more’ for the Portuguese centre-back.
The London club are right in the relegation mix this season, as they currently sit 18th in the Premier League table, equal on points with Nottingham Forest.
West Ham picked up a crucial league win against Fulham last week and progressed in the FA Cup after beating Brentford on Monday.
The Hammers have had major defensive concerns this season and addressed that in January by loaning in Axel Disasi from fellow Premier League club Chelsea.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were keen on further additions, as Gabriel was high on their radar for a possible move in the winter transfer window.
With Disasi only on loan, West Ham could well be back to the table for centre-backs when the summer transfer window swings open and Gabriel is shining brightly.
Lecce, though, only signed Gabriel last summer from Estrela da Amadora, and were not interested in selling the young centre-back mid-season.
The Irons are still keen on the 21-year-old Portuguese defender, who is performing consistently for a 16th-placed Lecce in Serie A.
Fellow London side Brentford tried to sign Gabriel for €22m in the January window, but the Salentini refused to sell him to the Premier League club.
And now, according to Italian outlet Area Napoli, Lecce are ‘demanding even more’ money to let go of the 21-year-old next summer.
It has been suggested that unnamed Premier League clubs have made enquiries about the Portugal Under-21 international.
Serie A giants Napoli are also considering him as an option for the summer window, as they want to add to their centre-back options.
Gabriel was a youth product at Sporting Lisbon and Lecce signed him for a fee of around €1m to €1.5m last summer on a two-year deal.
His contract runs until the summer of 2027, but both parties have an option to extend it by two years, which Lecce could well activate to preserve his value.
West Ham, though, will first focus on staying safe in the Premier League before they think about making a move for the Portuguese defender.
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