West Ham sign Fabián Balbuena from Corinthians | OneFootball

West Ham United have completed the signing of Paraguayan international defender Fabián Balbuena from Corinthians.

The 26-year-old moves to the London Stadium for an undisclosed fee, and has signed a three-year contract.

“I’m really excited for this new challenge and my target is to meet the demands of the Premier League,” Balbuena told the club’s official website.

“Obviously to be at West Ham is an extra motivation, and I want to do my best to help the team.”

Balbuena joined Corinthians from Paraguayan side Libertad in February 2016 and went on to captain the club. He has so far been capped seven times for his country.

“We welcome Fabian to West Ham United,” said Hammers’ Director of Football Mario Husillos.

“He is somebody we have monitored for a long time and we are very pleased to have taken the opportunity to sign him.

“He is a player of great strength, character and personality. To be captain of Corinthians, one of the biggest clubs in South America, requires a very strong mentality, and he also has international experience with Paraguay.

“He has won many individual honours and was often named one of the best central defenders in Brazil for his statistics.

“We believe he will improve our squad and our defensive qualities. He is the perfect age – a player for the present and the future – and he can be a very important player for many years at West Ham.”

He becomes Manuel Pellegrini’s sixth summer signing following the arrivals of Jack Wilshere, Issa Diop, Ryan Fredericks, Łukasz Fabiański and Andriy Yarmolenko.