West Ham United have joined Manchester United and Lyon in the race to sign Benfica star Gedson Fernandes in the January transfer window, as per reports.
The Hammers are hoping to secure the signature of the Portuguese international on an 18-month loan deal with an option to buy, according to Daily Mail.
Fernandes recently fell out of favour at Benfica after a dispute with manager Bruno Lage, and has not featured for Benfica in their last seven matches.
The same report also says that the Hammers are in with a real chance to get the deal done despite interest from Manchester United as Fernandes is more inclined towards a move to London.
The 20-year-old has a contract with Benfica till 2023, and has a whopping release clause of £102 million. But Benfica have confirmed that the club are not going to ask for such a huge amount for a player who is no longer in their future plans due to the rift with the manager.
Gedson Fernandes – What will add to West Ham United?
West Ham United, despite having a decent squad, are struggling at the moment. They parted ways with Manuel Pellegrini and have brought in David Moyes, who is looking to strengthen his midfield in the January transfer window after guiding them to a 4-0 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Fernandes is an attack-minded midfielder who has the ability to move with the ball and likes to dribble past players. The Hammers already have developing players like Declan Rice and Felipe Anderson in their squad, and the landing of Fernandes will only add a bit more pizzazz to their midfield.
The Portuguese is quick and can play short passes which would help him link with Felipe Anderson and bring in some creativity in the midfield for the east Londoners.
But the only disadvantage as far as Fernandes is concerned is his inability to score goals. He has not yet opened his account and has only one assist to his name in the 13 games he has featured in this season so far.
With Sebastian Haller struggling to find his feet at the London Stadium, West Ham desperately need a scorer in their ranks and Fernandes certainly is not the player they would be counting on for goals.
However, if he can add more quality for the likes of Anderson and Haller to improve their goals tally, he would be a shrewd addition.