West Ham have confirmed central defender Fabian Balbuena will not be retained at the club when his contract expires at the end of the month.
The 29-year-old will depart the London Stadium, ending a three-year stint in east London after arriving from Corinthians in 2018.
Balbuena will end his time as a Hammer having made 62 appearances – scoring three goals and picking up five yellow cards along the way.
The club confirmed the news on the official website before thanking the Paraguay international on Twitter.
Twitter: We have issued the Club’s Retained List of players, with Fabian Balbuena departing when his contract expires on Jun… https://t.co/D39lE1Eato (@WestHam)
The centre-back responded to the news and gave a special mention to the Irons’ supporters.
Twitter: To my teammates, staffs, workers of the club and specially to the fans my big big thank you ! It was a very special… https://t.co/PRwBUExn00 (@FBalbuenito)
Meanwhile, the announcement also further confirmed Craig Dawson would become a permanent squad member on July 1, whilst youngsters Sean Adarkwa, Olatunji Akinola, Samuel Caiger, Alfie Lewis and Joshua Okotcha are also set to leave the club.
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Although Balbuena’s departure has seemed an inevitability for some time now, David Moyes will be desperate to sign a replacement this summer.
More often than not part of the matchday squad, the Paraguayan was called into action against Chelsea a little over a month ago – highlighting his continued importance to the plans.
Whilst much is made of Frederik Alves’ potential, Moyes will want a senior defender to bolster the options further.
Reportedly set to return to South America, we wish Balbuena luck wherever he ends up next.
