West Ham in talks to sign “exquisite” star for £0

West Ham United have sparked into life on the transfer front.

While he isn’t the flashiest addition, Callum Wilson entering the building on a free transfer from Newcastle United will still have caught the eye as the Premier League outfit adds in strikers in the wake of Michail Antonio’s exit.

On top of that, Mads Hermansen has also finally arrived from Leicester City to boost the Irons in between the sticks, costing a reported £20m in the process.

Graham Potter and Co. could soon make it a hat-trick of exciting buys with a new target reportedly on their agenda, who could follow in Wilson’s footsteps by costing nothing.

West Ham in talks to sign attacking midfielder

With Kyle Walker-Peters also entering Potter’s ranks after his Southampton contract expired, there is a theme popping up.

It would, however, cost West Ham a pretty penny to land Mateus Fernandes from the Saints, with a previous £30m price tag being placed above the up-and-coming 21-year-old’s head amid interest from the likes of the Hammers.

Fernandes isn’t the only target centrally, though, with a report from Roma News indicating that West Ham are now locked in negotiations with AS Roma star Lorenzo Pellegrini over a standout free transfer taking place.

The Serie A side will allow for this to happen so they can free up some wage costs and make a signing or two themselves this summer, but any potential deal rests on Guido Rodriguez also leaving the London Stadium, before anything significant whirs into motion.

Pellegrini could even go on to be Potter’s own iteration of Manuel Lanzini, with the Roma number seven hopeful he can be as impactful as his fellow Argentine compatriot if a move to England does get off the ground.

How Pellegrini can be Potter’s own Lanzini

Before heading to his native Argentina to line up for River Plate, Lanzini was a fan favourite figure at the London Stadium.

Across 226 games for the Hammers, it’s fair to say the diminutive playmaker left his lasting impact, culminating in him amassing 32 goals and 26 assists in total, which included that ​​​​​​memorable effort being cannoned home against arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur back in 2020.

His consistent brilliance for the Hammers even saw his then-teammate Declan Rice hail him as a “special” talent to line up alongside, with Pellegrini hopeful he can reach this same level of performance if he calls East London home shortly.

Of course, the 29-year-old isn’t being chucked to one side by Roma for no reason, with Pellegrini just fresh off a below-par offering last season in Serie A that saw him tally up a weak two goals and two assists.

But, much like Lanzini in the Premier League, the Rome-born attacker has shown off his class over the majority of his extensive stay in the Italian top-flight, away from this worrying drop-off in form.

Even the Hammers’ favourite was guilty of going missing in certain contests, with only one league goal coming his way during his final swansong campaign, which ended his love affair with West Ham on a somewhat damp note.

Amazingly, away from that off-season last time out, Pellegrini has managed to collect a sizeable 55 goals and 59 assists for his boyhood club, with his Roma boss in Claudio Ranieri, going as far as to describe the 29-year-old as “exquisite” when he performs at the peak of his powers.

Capable of lighting up a pitch on his day with skilful displays with the goals and assists to match, he does feel as if he’s the next coming of Lanzini for those at the London Stadium, with Pellegrini also adept enough to line up in a more traditional central role if needed, as well as down the left wing, much like the ex-Irons number 10.

On a free transfer, this really could be a steal, with Rome royalty in Francisco Totti even labelling him as a “leader” for his efforts at the Stadio Olimpico.