West Ham United have reached an agreement for the transfer of Portuguese centre-forward Pablo from Gil Vicente to the London Stadium, according to Florian Plettenberg.
The Hammers have been linked with several options in recent weeks, with Football Talk citing reputable sources reporting the club’s interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jorgen Strand Larson, as well as Cruzeiro’s Kaio Jorge, with the latest option now being Pablo.
After spending the previous campaign on loan with Gil Vicente, the 21-year-old found the net on five occasions before the club decided to secure his services permanently. That decision has paid off, as he has hit outstanding form this season, delivering 10 goals and one assist across 13 appearances in the Primeira Liga.
His prolific goalscoring form has played a major role in the Gilistas’ rise up the table. Having ended last season in 13th place, César Peixoto’s side now occupies fourth, sitting behind only Porto, Sporting, and Benfica.
Now, according to Plettenberg, West Ham have reached an agreement for the transfer of Pablo to the London Stadium in a deal worth up to £20m.
The journalist adds that the Portuguese-born Brazilian centre forward is set to arrive in London on Thursday to undergo his medical formalities before putting pen to paper on a long-term contract.
The Hammers are now hoping to finalise the deal in time before Saturday afternoon’s crunch Premier League tie against Wolves at the Molineux, according to the report.
Pablo to West Ham
Avoiding relegation will likely require West Ham to collect victories in at least seven to nine fixtures, with that target viewed as the minimum needed to remain in the Premier League.
Currently sitting 18th, the London side trail Nottingham Forest in 17th by four points and are under mounting pressure to reinforce their squad. Just 14 points have been gathered from the first 19 matches, marking their poorest return at this stage of a season since the 2010/11 campaign, when relegation followed under Avram Grant.
The Hammers’ only natural centre-forward option at the moment is Callum Wilson, who has netted four Premier League goals, while Niclas Füllkrug is reportedly nearing a departure to AC Milan.
As a result, Nuno Espírito Santo has recently turned to Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville as centre-forward options in recent matches.
With Nuno renowned for getting the best out of his centre-forwards, West Ham fans will hope that Pablo’s prolific goalscoring form will be replicated in the Premier League to help their relegation battle.
