West Ham aim to complete their move for a Man City forward “this week”, and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the finer details of the surprise coup.
The Hammers are flush with cash on the back of selling Declan Rice to Arsenal for a package worth £105m. A direct replacement is required and a bid of £45m for Fulham’s Joao Palhinha has already been rejected. One alternative on West Ham’s radar is Edson Alvarez of Ajax.
However, manager David Moyes will also look to strengthen other positions
with the Rice windfall. Indeed, Fabrizio Romano and the Guardian recently brought news of an imminent raid for a Man City winger.
Carlos Borges is the player in question, with the Portugal Under-19 international locked in West Ham’s sights.
The 19-year-old left winger joined Man City way back in 2015 when plucked from Sporting Lisbon’s academy. The left-footer is yet to make a senior appearance for the club, though has earned rave reviews for his displays in City’s youth ranks.
A verbal agreement over a permanent deal worth £14m was struck. That’s a hefty sum for a player who hasn’t played a single minute of senior first-team football. However, it’s an indication of just how highly Borges is rated.
Providing a fresh update, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano tweetedWest Ham are “working to get Carlos Borges deal done and sealed this week.”
Romano stressed the deal is at the “final stages”, and also confirmed Man City will insert a buy-back clause into the deal.
That will allow Pep Guardiola’s side a chance to re-sign Borges if he lives up to the hype in the capital.
The chances of Borges realising his full potential will greatly increase upon signing for West Ham given the far stiffer competition for places at the Etihad.
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