West Ham send scouts to watch ‘new Eden Hazard’ ahead of club-record move
West Ham, along with Manchester United, Tottenham, Porto, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Monaco, sent scouts to check in on Braga vs Vitoria in the Portuguese Primeira Liga last week.
The man who was centre of attention for the clubs represented was impressive Portuguese attacking midfielder Rafa Silva, according to the Express.
@scoutsattending Braga vs Vitória:
6 ??; 4 ??; 3 ??; 3 ??; 1 ??; 1 ??; 1 ?? pic.twitter.com/N9AT2AlCtV— Pedro Evangelista (@Pedro_M_E) February 22, 2016
The Hammers were linked with a move earlier this season for the 22-year-old, with Portuguese source O Jogo stating they had scouted the versatile attacker several times this season already.
Dubbed the ‘Portuguese Eden Hazard’, Silva broke through last season, scoring five goals and recording six assists in 43 appearances for Braga, seeing him earn his first international caps for Portugal in the process.
Silva, who has seven goals and three assists in all competitions so far this season, revealed earlier this month that he’s already turned down offers to leave Braga, but wanted to stay put.
I’ve received some offers but I preferred to stay here. My goal is to give everything for this club.
He reportedly has a £15.5m release clause built into his contract which expires in 2019, a fee which West Ham should have no problem meeting (which would make him the club’s record signing), given the inflated Premier League TV deal which will kick-in in the summer.