Fabian Balbuena is heading to London for a medical ahead of his move to West Ham, according to the Sun.
West Ham have met the Corinthians centre-back’s release clause and he is on the verge of making the switch.
The news was confirmed by a statement released by the Brazilian side on Monday.
They thanked Balbuena for his services to the club and added: “The amount offered was the same as the amount required by the other party in the contract renewal, signed two months ago.
“The defender is already cleared for medical examinations for a transfer to the London club.”
OPINION
This seems to be moving week for West Ham. They announced a major deal for former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere on Monday, and he could be followed by Paraguay international Balbuena. Deals for Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko are also being pursued. Balbuena, despite being a fully fledged international player, is probably the most low key. We don’t know how much the release clause of the player is, and not much is known of him outside of the Brazilian Serie A. He’s made 80 appearances for Corinthians and won seven caps for his country, but he’ll be a completely untested commodity in the Premier League. He’s said to be a key player for Corinthians though and helped them to the Serie A title last season. This one will have to be a case of ‘In Pellegrini we trust’ for West Ham fans. He’s doing so much right at the moment that it’s not a huge leap of faith to expect them to make.
