Porto made last-minute attempt to sign West Ham flop on deadline day | OneFootball

Porto made a last-minute move to sign West Ham United flop Luis Guilherme, according to O Jogo.

The Portuguese giants reached out to the Hammers to understand the conditions of a potential loan deal for the young Brazilian.

The 18-year-old forward has played just 50 minutes of senior football this season, leaving his camp concerned about his development.

Porto took steps to sign Guilherme by reaching out to West Ham, but they didn’t formalise their interest with an official bid.

Their approach was described as ‘exploratory’, suggesting that the Portuguese giants were gauging the feasibility of a deal before making a concrete offer.

Porto would have needed to move quickly, but they preferred looking elsewhere, with Guilherme now set to remain at West Ham for the rest of the season.

West Ham were keen to cut him loose during the transfer window. They were open to loan and permanent deals but didn’t receive any satisfactory offers.

Despite his struggles at West Ham, Porto weren’t the only European giants looking to offer him an escape route out of London.

Sporting CP were also in the running alongside Dutch giants Feyenoord and Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk.

All potential suitors were monitoring Guilherme’s situation, although Shakhtar were the only club to submit a formal bid to sign the teenager.

The Ukrainian giants tabled an offer worth £12.5 million, but it was quickly rejected by West Ham, who were hoping to recoup their initial £25.5m investment in the winger.

The Hammers made the ill-advised move to sign Guilherme from Palmeiras in 2024 – a transfer sanctioned by former technical director Tim Steidten.

The youngster is under contract at West Ham until 2029. However, suitors could revive their interest this summer unless he breaks into the starting XI under manager Graham Potter.