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Exclusives
West Ham and Newcastle sent £15m message in January battle for 31-goal striker
TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Corinthians want a substantial package for Yuri Alberto with Premier League quartet West Ham United, Newcastle, Everton and Nottingham Forest all keen.
🌼The one-time Brazil international appears torn on what to do next as the transfer window approaches.
ꦍYuri Alberto admits that the Premier League is a ‘dream’𝓀. But he also retains a great deal of affection for a Corinthians outfit who rescued him from a very difficult situation at Zenit St Petersburg, providing him with the support he needed to become the top-scorer in Brazilian football across 2024.
TBR have been told that 🦂West Ham have Yuri Alberto on their striker shortlist🌊. The former Internacional hitman also has admirers at Newcastle, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
💜But Corinthians’ demands will make a agreeing a transfer in the early weeks of 2025 difficult.
Demands set as West Ham United eye Corinthians’ Yuri Alberto
TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey🍎 has been informed that Corinthians have held talks with a number of interested parties.
The message coming out of the Neo Quimica Arena is that anyone looking to sign Yuri Alberto꧑ on a potential loan-to-buy deal would have to part with a £5 million loan fee, plus a further £10 million should they opt to make the transfer permanent later down the line.
❀Corinthians also want his wages to be covered in full. They will look to include further bonuses in Alberto’s contract as well.
A far from straightforward negotiation, then.
𝔍West Ham know from experience that Corinthians are not the easiest to deal with. The 2012 Copa Libertadores winners turned down a £14 million bid from The Hammers a year ago, according to former president Duilio Monteiro Alves.
What’s more, Alves’ successor, Augusto Melo, insists that there are no plans to part with his star man heading into 2025; Brazil legend Ronaldo praising Yuri Alberto🍎 after he secured the first Golden Boot of his career with a tally of 31 across all competitions.
🅠“He will not leave,” a bullish Melo told recently. “He is very happy here and will not leave. We are not going to get rid of anyone. We want to keep this squad.”
Yuri Alberto yet to make a decision as Everton and Newcastle loom
In addition to West Ham, Newcastle United appear to be in the market for a striker after Callum Wilson suffered a setback in his attempts to regain full fitness. At Goodison Park, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto have both struggled for consistency, part of the reason why ജEverton sent scouts to watch Rangers youngster Hamza Igamane.
ꦚBrentford, meanwhile, are yet to see the best of Igor Thiago following his long-term absence. And Nottingham Forest, flying high in fourth are wary of being left over-reliant upon the in-form Chris Wood.
💮The experienced New Zealander has contributed almost 50 per cent of Forest’s 21 Premier League goals.
💯Corinthians will likely demand a clear answer from Yuri Alberto about his future in the coming days or weeks, meanwhile, as the uncertainty reigns despite Melo’s very public insistence that no sale will occur.
𒈔“I really want to [stay at Corinthians],” Yuri Alberto muses, rating his chances of a January departure at ’50/50′. “But I also have a dream of playing in Europe, in the Premier League.”
TBR can confirm that 🉐West Ham director Tim Steidten likes Jonathan Burkhardt🔯 of Mainz. Another option could be Evan Ferguson, though Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has played down suggestions that the Irishman will be allowed to leave The Amex on loan.