West Ham are in the race to sign Sporting Lisbon defender Cristiano Piccini, according to Turkish-Football.com.
The football news website claim that according to their sources the 25-year-old right-back is considering his options and has attracted the interest of the Hammers, Besiktas, Manchester United as well as Inter Milan.
Turkish-Football report that Besiktas had offered to take Piccini on loan and include a clause to buy him on a permanent basis at a later date but that’s unlikely that the Turkish club will be able to match Sporting Lisbon’s £17.5million valuation of their player.
OPINION
This would be an odd signing for the Hammers to make in some regards. With Pablo Zabaleta and Ryan Fredericks at the club then Manuel Pellegrini shouldn’t be on the hunt to sign a new right-back anytime soon. Piccini who stands at 6ft 2in tall (Transfermarkt) is a wonderful talent given his dribbling ability and knack for winning aerial duels but the Hammers simply don’t need him at this time. The 25-year-old may be looking for a way out at Sporting Lisbon as he is one of the players unsettled by the recent attack on his team that took place at the club’s training ground, but he shouldn’t rock up at the London Stadium this summer. Given that Piccini is valued at £17.5million then the Hammers are better off spending that amount of money on other areas of their team. While the 25-year-old who impressed during the 40 appearances he made for Lisbon last season he may end up doing well at Manchester United if signed by them, the Hammers won’t end up regretting pursuing him.
