West Ham United are working on a deal to sign Flamengo defender Fabricio Bruno. Talks with Flamengo over the Brazilian defender have reportedly reached an advanced stage, with a fee being discussed between the two clubs.
Fabricio Bruno, 28, has been a rock at the back for Flamengo, making 28 appearances thus far this year. He also played 90 minutes on his international debut for Brazil in a friendly against England at the Wembley Stadium in March. The centre-back extended his contract with Flamengo until 2028 in January, having initially arrived at the club in 2022. However, the Brazilian is likely to leave the Rubro-Negro after agreeing personal terms with West Ham United.
West Ham appoint Julen Lopetegui as new manager
West Ham formally unveiled their new head coach Julen Lopetegui on Thursday afternoon, with the Spaniard signing a two-year contract with the option for an extra year. Julen Lopetegui, who left Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023 after a transfer cash row, replaces Conference League-winning manager David Moyes at the London Stadium.
The Spanish tactician, 57, rejected Bayern Munich’s advances as he had his heart set on a move back to the Premier League. While Lopetegui has been given assurances that the Hammers will have a sizeable budget to spend in the upcoming summer transfer window, Sporting director Tim Steidten will instead be the key man in charge of the transfers and recruitment.
The first and foremost thing on Lopetegui’s agenda at West Ham was to approve the expected signing of Fabricio Bruno, who Tim Steidten and the club’s top hierarchy have identified to strengthen the team’s defensive unit.
Fabricio Bruno set to become West Ham’s first summer signing
West Ham have identified the defence as an area for improvement after they conceded a total of 74 goals—an average of 1.9 per game—and went 18 Premier League games without a clean sheet in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign. They are closing in on the signing of Fabricio Bruno from Flamengo for a fee in the region of £12m after the deal was seemingly approved by newly-appointed head coach Julen Lopetegui.
The east Londoners are keen to complete a deal for Bruno as early as possible in the window after the inconsistent displays of Kurt Zouma and Konstantinos Mavropanos this past season, while Nayef Aguerd has struggled with fitness problems. Angelo Ogbonna, who turned 36 on Wednesday, is past his prime and will be released at the end of his contract next month.
So, West Ham definitely must try to sign another central defender after acquiring Bruno’s services, as Lopetegui looks to shuffle his defensive pack around significantly before the start of the new campaign.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
