The door may well now be wide open for West Ham to sign Yuri Alberto with his manager claiming that he wants to leave Zenit St Petersburg this summer.
Signing a centre-forward will be one of the main priorities for Hammers manager David Moyes before the start of the new season.
Zenit striker Yuri Alberto is a name who has been linked with a move to the London Stadium over the past week or so.
Now, the Brazil under-23 international is far from a household name. However, he does have exceptional talent and possesses all of the attributes needed to excel in the Premier League.
We actually think that signing someone like Alberto rather than a proven name this summer could be the way forward. Michail Antonio probably has one season left at his peak so the 21-year-old Brazilian could serve as his understudy during the 2022/23 campaign.
And it seems as though the door could well be wide open now for the Hammers to sign the Zenit forward…
The 21-year-old seems to be heading for the exit door at Zenit Saints Petersburg in the summer transfer window.
Zenit boss Sergei Semak admitted that Alberto wants to leave the Gazprom Arena this summer, when speaking exclusively to GZH Colorado:
“Now, the player’s priority is to play at another club for a while. We respect each player’s decision. Everything is being negotiated. Of course, he will be missed. The situation is changing very quickly.”
Alberto was valued at around £15 million (Globo Esporte) but could be available for a lot less now with foreign players desperate to get away from their clubs in Russia and Ukraine.
He has been described as a pacy striker who is a clinical finisher with either foot by ESDF Analysis.
Alberto is a very hard worker as well and is always willing to make tireless runs into the channels. It’s little wonder why Moyes might be interested in bringing him to the London Stadium!
During his career to date, he has bagged 37 goals and 10 assists in 116 games (Transfermarkt) – not bad going for a 21-year-old!
The Brazilian will obviously continue to get better and better.
And it seems as though West Ham will now have a very strong chance of bringing Yuri Alberto to the London Stadium this summer.
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