West Ham United

West Ham United

Premier League • England

West Ham or Wolves could be €19m bidder for Brazilian defender Guilherme Arana after agent contact

Guilherme Arana celebrating for Atletico Mineiro

West Ham United and Wolves are reported to have made approaches for Brazilian left-back Guilherme Arana.

Arana currently plies his trade for Atletico Mineiro in his native country. However, the 25-year-old has had opportunities in Europe before. He was at Sevilla between 2018 and 2019, and Atalanta for the 2019-20 season.

Now, Arana may get another chance to play in Europe. After his stints in La Liga and Serie A, now the Premier League could be calling.

According to journalist Jorge Nicola, West Ham have made contact with the left-back’s representatives.

Their current options in his position comprise of Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku. The former is under contract until 2023 and the latter until 2024.

With another European campaign on the horizon, West Ham may want to reinforce several positions. Arana is younger than both Cresswell and Masuaku, so could help them evolve that department of their squad.

Yet the Hammers face competition from Wolves, who are also said to have touched base to gain information about Arana’s situation.

Their current left-backs are Rayan Ait-Nouri and Jonny Otto. Their contracts run until 2026 and 2025 respectively.

Ait-Nouri has been linked with clubs of European pedigree in recent months. Jonny, in contrast, has suffered a few injury issues during his time at Molineux. That said, he got through the most recent season fine.

But Wolves will be keeping their options open as they look to build a squad capable of improving upon this season’s 10th-place finish. Interestingly, reports linking them with Arana stretch back to October 2021.

Guilherme Arana could cost more than £16m

Therefore, Arana appears to be an option for both clubs. It could soon become clear which destination he ends up at.

Recent reports have indicated that an offer could arrive from the Premier League for Arana, worth €19m (£16.3m). That would give his current employers a good profit on a £4.5m investment.

It may be something of a gamble from West Ham or Wolves, though. Arana has never played in the Premier League before.

But he is at an age where it could be time to prove himself in the competition. His contract with Atletico Mineiro is due to expire in December 2024, yet there could be a chance to leave before then.

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