West Ham United Keen On £20m Rated Defender: Final Piece Of The Jigsaw?

According to the Daily Mail, West Ham United have been rebuffed in their attempts to sign Marcelo. The Lyon defender has attracted a lot of interest across Europe just one year after joining the club and sources believe a move to the Premier League could be on the horizon.

However, it is understood that the Hammers have fallen flat in their attempts of luring the defender to London this summer, with Lyon rejecting their £18m bid this week. And it is believed that Marcelo, who initially joined Lyon on a bargain fee of just £6 million could cost around £20m.

Highly deemed as one of Lyon’s most consistent performers last season, Marcelo has seen a huge rise in his stock within the past 12 months. After failing to make the cut with Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga, the former Santos defender moved to Besiktas. He helped the Turkish giants win two back to back titles, which ultimately earned him a £6m move to Lyon last summer.

During his debut season in the French top flight, the 31-year-old played a key role as Olympique Lyonnais finished eighth in the final league standings. Especially after the departure of star defender Emanuel Mammana last summer, Marcelo’s arrival at the club helped head coach Bruno Genesio fill the void left by the Argentine centre-back.

West Ham, on the other hand, are undergoing a squad overhaul this summer following a disappointing season. In fact, the Hammers have already made as many as seven signings under newly appointed coach, Manuel Pellegrini.

However, that being said, most of their summer activity has largely focused on their attacking department. But it is equally important for Pellegrini to also address a lacklustre defence which saw West Ham concede the joint-most goals in the league(68) along with the relegated Stoke City.

Marcelo, in that regard, could be an ideal addition to the squad considering the fact that the Hammers have their own share of problems in the defensive department. While the acquisition of Issa Diop is certainly a boost, there have been question marks regarding the form of Winston Reid thus accentuating the need of a top-class defender this summer.

And despite his struggles in European football for the most part of his career, Marcelo has shown tremendous promise in the past few seasons. At the same time, his vast experience of playing in several different countries could help the Hammers next season especially with their defence consisting of young individuals such as Declan Rice, Issa Diop and Reece Oxford.

Therefore, they should definitely persist with their interest in this highly rated Lyon defender considering the fact that only a £2m increment on the transfer bid could see them land the experienced defender.