West Ham United have confirmed the permanent signing of winger Keiber Lamadrid from Deportivo La Guaira following his loan spell.
The 22-year-old joined the Irons during the January transfer window but only made one senior appearance in an FA Cup fourth-round victory over Burton Albion.
Lamadrid only made three Premier League matchday squads before the Irons’ relegation, although he managed one goal and one assist from three Premier League 2 games for the Under-21s.
The Hammers possessed an option to make the Venezuelan’s stay permanent for around £1m, and the club announced on Saturday that the clause had been triggered.
“West Ham United have exercised the option to complete the permanent transfer of Keiber Lamadrid from Deportivo La Guaira,” a club statement read. “Everyone at West Ham United would like to congratulate Keiber on completing his transfer and wish him the best for his future career in Claret and Blue.”
Lamadrid previously scored 14 goals in 104 appearances for Deportivo La Guaira, and the attacker has won two caps for the Venezuelan national team.
Wolves braced for Joao Gomes transfer hijack?
© Imago / Sportimage
Elsewhere in the Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Joao Gomes remains at the centre of an intense transfer tussle between Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray.
The 25-year-old is expected to depart Molineux this summer following Wolves’ relegation from the Premier League, and he was formerly linked with a move to Manchester United.
The Red Devils’ pursuit of Atalanta BC’s Ederson eliminated any chance of Gomes moving to Old Trafford, while also making Atletico the main contenders for the Wolves man after they missed out on Ederson.
However, RTI Esporte claims that Galatasaray could look to hijack Atletico’s move by offering Wolves approximately €40m (£34.7m) for Gomes’s services.
Nevertheless, Atletico are still viewed as the favourites to sign the 25-year-old, and Los Rojiblancos are willing to invest a higher fee – £39m – to pip Galatasaray to the post.
Gomes has scored eight goals and set up six assists in 130 appearances for Wolves, who have the Brazilian under contract until 2030.
Fulham ‘fail’ with £17.3m defender bid
© Iconsport / Seskim Photo
Back in the Premier League, Fulham have supposedly failed with a €20m (£17.3m) offer for Trabzonspor defender Chibuike Nwaiwu.
The 22-year-old only signed for the Turkish Super Lig side from Wolfsberger AC in January, but his stock quickly rose as he won the Turkish Cup in his first half-season.
Nwaiwu also excelled in the Turkish Super Lig with three goals and one assist from 16 appearances, as Trabzonspor finished third in the table to qualify for the Europa League playoff round.
Fulham recently tried their luck with a bid for the centre-back, but Fotomac reports that Trabzonspor rejected the Cottages’ proposal “without hesitation”.
The report adds that Fulham are expected to come forward with a revised offer, but Trabzonspor will only sell if the London club make him Nwaiwu their most expensive sale of all time.
The Turkish club’s current record sale is goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, who signed for Galatasaray for £23.8m last year.
Fulham, Sunderland battling for £26m Serie A centre-back
© Iconsport / LaPresse
If Fulham cannot twist Trabzonspor’s arm, the Cottagers have supposedly already found an alternative in Parma centre-back Mariano Troilo.
The 22-year-old joined the Serie A side from Belgrano for a mere £6.9m last year and made 23 appearances in his first season, scoring one goal.
Troilo helped Parma secure Serie A survival with a 13th-placed finish, starting 18 top-flight matches, although he also received two red cards in the top flight.
Nevertheless, the Argentine’s rise has caught the attention of Fulham and Sunderland, according to Parmalive, but the pair are ‘far’ from meeting Parma’s asking price.
The Serie A outfit – managed by ex-Arsenal assistant Carlos Cuesta – reportedly want €30m (£26m) to sell Troilo, who stands at 6ft 4in tall.
The defender is not due to become a free agent until 2030.