West Ham United and Leicester City in transfer battle for West Brom man | OneFootball

West Ham United have submitted a bid for West Brom midfielder Matheus Pereira – and they could soon be followed by Leicester City, according to journalist Ekrem Konur.

Despite suffering relegation with the Baggies from the Premier League last season, Pereira starred for the club by scoring 11 times.

Ever since West Brom’s 2021-22 Championship status was confirmed, many expected Pereira to depart this summer, even th0ugh some top relegated players from the season before such as Emi Buendia, Ismaila Sarr and David Brooks remained at their clubs last season in the second tier.

The 25-year-old Brazilian returned to the club for pre-season training but hasn’t taken a part in any friendlies, with the Baggies letting him seek a move away from the Midlands outfit.

22 things all West Brom fans simply must know – But do you?

1 of 22

The Hawthorns has been West Brom’s home ground since which year?

1906

1900

1911

1903

Per Turkish journalist Konur, West Ham United have made the first bid, thought to be £12.7 million, for Pereira, but that has been turned down by West Brom who want closer to over £21 million.

Pereira’s situation is also attracting attention from another Europa League club in Leicester, who are looking to bolster their options ahead of a European campaign and they are believed to be close to making an offer.

The Verdict

It’s been accepted for some time that Pereira probably won’t be a Baggies player by the end of the transfer window and for his performances last season he deserves a shot at a bigger club.

Pereira has already had a season in the Championship when he was on loan during the 2019-20 season – that was before he was proven in the top flight and you could argue he’s already paid his dues to the club, and they don’t seem to mind potentially cashing in on the Brazilian this summer.

It does show how well he played in the Premier League when it is clubs in European competition that are interested, and of course when he does eventually depart he will be a massive loss to the squad.

But sometimes you can’t stand in the way of someone’s ambitions and in this case it is probably right for West Brom to let their dynamic attacker leave.