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West Ham are poised to boost their attacking options by signing Gil Vicente’s Pablo Felipe and Lazio’s Taty Castellanos at a cost of up to £47m.
Both deals have been driven by Nuno Espírito Santo, who is looking to help his struggling side’s fight to stay in the Premier League by adding more firepower. West Ham considered a move for the Wolves striker Jørgen Strand Larsen but decided against making a bid after concluding that his £40m valuation was too high.
They instead moved quickly to agree a deal for Pablo, who will join for £18.3m plus £2.6m in add-ons, then swiftly concluded negotiations with Lazio over a £26.1m deal for Castellanos. West Ham are also looking to complete a short-term deal for the Fulham winger Adama Traoré, who is out of contract at the end of the season, but have failed with a loan bid for Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling. Fulham are favourites to land Sterling, who does not believe that a temporary move to West Ham would help him revive his career.
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Nuno’s side are 18th and short of strikers. Niclas Füllkrug is joining Milan on loan, leaving Callum Wilson as the only senior natural forward. West Ham believe Pablo has vast potential. The 21-year-old has helped Gil Vicente to fourth place in the Primeira Liga by scoring nine goals. There are, however, concerns over whether the Brazilian, who is expected to acquire Portuguese citizenship soon, will be able to carry his success in Portugal’s top flight to England. Pablo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, represents Nuno.
West Ham also considered moves for Viktoria Plzen’s Rafiu Durosinmi, Crystal Palace’s Eddie Nketiah and Coventry’s Haji Wright and Ellis Simms. They spent New Year’s Day in talks over Castellanos, who has scored two goals in 12 games for Lazio this season. The 27-year-old, who joined Lazio from New York City in 2023, is more of a deep-lying forward. He has been pushed by Nuno.
A centre-back is also a priority for West Ham, who retain an interest in the Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell. They are selling the Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme to Sporting for £14.8m. The 19-year-old has made little impact since joining from Palmeiras in 2024. James Ward-Prowse, George Earthy, Callum Marshall and Guido Rodríguez are other possible departures.
