West Ham United have reportedly enquired about Matheus Pereira...

What's the word?

That's according to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, who made the claim during a Q&A with supporters of his Patreon page this week. He has since provided a further update on Twitter.

"We are interested and have enquired about fee etc but this has not been agreed," the anonymous insider said.

The Irons were first linked to the West Brom playmaker back in May as a potential alternative to loan sensation Jesse Lingard, as per the Express.

And with the Manchester United star becoming increasingly unlikely to return, David Moyes' interest in Pereira should come as little surprise.

The next Payet

The 25-year-old maestro is the sort of player that would leave much of the London Stadium crowd on the edge of their seats and even though he's not Lingard, he'd be a mouthwatering signing to consider.

During his debut season in the big time, Pereira excelled despite West Brom's relegation - as per Transfermarkt, the Brazilian scored 11 goals and provided six assists, taking his total for the Midlands club to 20 goals and 26 assists in just 77 appearances.

That's an impressive return of one direct goal contribution every 132 minutes since his arrival in England.

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Pereira has been described as a "genius" with unseen technical ability, the sort that Dimitri Payet was once lauded with prior to his move to East London.

The French playmaker could spark something out of nothing, had a tremendous set-piece record and is arguably the most talented player West Ham have had in the modern era.

Across 48 appearances, Payet delivered 11 goals and 18 assists, and it probably could've been so much more. Even after his exit, no West Ham player could match his chances created since the 2015 season, which speaks volumes.

But this is where Pereira draws plenty of similarities, having averaged 1.8 key passes per game in the Premier League in 2020/21, adding to an average of 2.8 per outing in the Championship a season earlier, via WhoScored.

Furthermore, the former Lisbon man's delivery from free-kicks has previously been described as "wonderful" by Leon Osman.

"We’ve seen Matheus Pereira try this a few times. He tries to find it under the crossbar, inside the goal frame, to see if anyone gets on the end of it," the ex-Everton star told BBC Radio 5 Live.

The £13.5m-rated "special talent" is yet to appear for the Baggies' pre-season and whilst no comments have been made on his future from their hierarchy, it is certainly perplexing.

Moyes and co must look to make the most of this and follow up their enquiry with a formal bid. Albion are likely to demand around £30m for their star man, a similar amount to what United are seeking for a 28-year-old outcast.

In Pereira, the Irons could well discover their next Payet, so he should be signed, whatever the price.

AND in other news, West Ham fans won't like ExWHUemployee's latest takeover claim...