A further twist has emerged in Matheus Pereira's potential move away from West Bromwich Albion.
What's the talk?
That's according to a claim made by Ekrem Konur, with the journalist revealing on Twitter that the winger is now very close to joining West Ham United ahead of the new season. In his tweet, Konur said: "As of now, Matheus Pereira is very close to West Ham."
Earlier reports had claimed that David Moyes' side had made an offer of a season-long loan deal WHICH included an option to buy, although Albion informed the Premier League club that they wish to sell the Brazilian in order to raise funds for their own transfer business.
As a result, it was said that the Irons were considering returning to the negotiating table in order to submit a £15m cash bid for the 25-year-old, which could well have happened if Konur is to be believed.
Fans will be fuming
Considering just how important a part of the West Brom side Pereira has been in recent seasons, as well as it previously being reported that Albion were demanding a fee of £24m in order to part with the winger this summer, Baggies fans will undoubtedly be fuming if the club have indeed accepted an offer of just £15m.
Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances last season, the £13.5m-rated wizard bagged 11 goals, provided six assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates, along with averaging two shots and 1.8 key passes per match.
These returns saw the £30k-per-week forward dubbed a "genius" by his former coach Nate Weiss earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as Albion's best player in the 2020/21 Premier League.
As such, while retaining the services of Pereira this summer would limit the Baggies' transfer budget, it would also provide Valerien Ismael with a huge boost to his chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, something which is almost certainly a requirement for the Frenchman.
With it being reported that £15m may have been enough for Albion to sanction the sale of the Brazilian, the argument could easily be made that the club would have been better off keeping hold of the 25-year-old for one more year in order to give them the greatest chance of securing a return to the top flight, and the subsequent windfall that promotion would bring with it.
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