West Ham United could formalise their interest in Brazil international Guilherme Arana during the January transfer window as part of their search for a new left-back, sources have confirmed to 90min.
Arana has recently won back his place in the Selecao setup following a series of impressive performances at club level for Atletico Minerio and he has now earned five caps at senior level.
His most recent appearance for Brazil came in a 1-1 draw at home to Venezuela in World Cup qualifying earlier this week – Gabriel Magalhaes had put the hosts ahead before a stunning late equaliser from Eduard Bello saw the points shared.
Arana played all 90 minutes at left-back that evening and his exploits were being monitored by a host of clubs from across Europe.
90min understands that representatives Premier League sides Brentford, West Ham and Wolves were all present at the Arena Pantanal to keep a close eye on the 26-year-old.
West Ham’s interest is the most advanced having already monitored Arana, who has just over 12 months to run on his contract, for much of this year already. The Hammers will make a move for a left-back in January and Atletico Mineiro are unlikely to stand in Arana’s way if the east Londoners come calling.
Emerson Palmieri has spent much of the season starting at left-back for West Ham, with veteran Aaron Cresswell currently out injured. Thilo Kehrer and Ben Johnson have both filled in on the left at points this term.
Brentford are also in desperate need of cover at left-back after losing Rico Henry to an ACL injury. Aaron Hickey, who is naturally a right-back, has swapped flanks in his absence.
Other teams in attendance to watch Arana’s performance against Venezuela were Lens, Lille and Lyon of France, Italian rivals Lazio and Roma, and German outfit Werder Bremen.
Arana has previously played in Europe in between spells in Brazil. He spent two seasons in Sevilla’s first-team between 2017 and 2019 and then joined Atalanta on a season-long loan before returning to his homeland in 2020.
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