West Ham United are pushing to sign Real Betis defender Luiz Felipe and now hope to speed up a deal.
Luiz Felipe has become a top target for West Ham United with the Real Betis ace waiting for a departure.
That is according to ABC Sevilla over in Spain, who report that West Ham have been in talks to sign Luiz Felipe.
It’s stated that negotiations advanced last week and West Ham are now looking to speed up talks and get the deal done.
Luiz Felipe is currently in Germany with the rest of the Betis squad but is allegedly waiting for his move to West Ham to materialise.
The deal would allegedly be worth around €20million (£17million) with West Ham seemingly making Luiz Felipe their top defensive target.
Who is West Ham United target Luiz Felipe?
Luiz Felipe emerged in his native Brazil with Ituano, the same club which produced Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli.
Lazio pounced after just 21 first-team appearances, handing him a big move to Italy in the summer of 2016.
Lazio immediately sent Luiz Felipe to Salernitana in Serie A, where the centre back struggled for first-team action.
Yet upon his return to Lazio, Luiz Felipe emerged as a first-team star never looked back, racking up nearly 150 appearances.
Luiz Felipe then decided to make a bold move, leaving Lazio as a free agent last summer in order to join Betis.
The 26-year-old impressed under former West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini and could now land a big move away from Betis.
Despite hailing from Sao Paulo, Luiz Felipe now plays for Italy on the international stage and has picked up one cap so far.
West Ham United defensive investment could continue
A £17million deal for Luiz Felipe would continue West Ham’s investment into their back line under David Moyes.
The Hammers forked out £30million to sign Kurt Zouma from Chelsea in 2021 and the 28-year-old has played a key role.
West Ham then paid another £30million for Morocco international Nayef Aguerd last summer, luring him from Rennes.
Moyes also paid £10million for Thilo Kehrer and £13million for Emerson Palmieri last summer, with those four additions costing around £83million.
Luiz Felipe would take that to £100million and fans would be expecting West Ham to really improve defensively after that kind of outlay.
The post Report: £17m star now waiting for West Ham United transfer as Hammers aim to speed up deal appeared first on HITC.
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