Negotiations between West Ham United and Serie A side, Inter Milan are currently ongoing for Portugues midfielder, Joao Mario for a short loan spell with an option to make the move permanent. The 25-year-old’s £38m move to the Italian outfit has hit a huge speed bump in recent times and a move is imminent. He has fallen out of favour with Luciano Spalletti this season with just 5 starts in the league.
Inter Milan started off the season in blistering form with a few weeks at the top of the table but has struggled to deliver wins on a consistent basis. The club has fallen 12 points behind Napoli and might just be out of the title race altogether. Mauricio Icardi’s transfer to Real Madrid is looking more and more likely as the days progress and the San Siro side needs to prepare for such a circumstance. Trimming off the fat is their best option in order to make way for an attacking replacement if their best forward does leave in the coming weeks or after this season.
Mario is a versatile presence in the midfield with an ability to play both the number 10 role and as a holding midfielder. He received high praise after his impressive display for the Portugal national team in the 2016 Euro Cup. The Porto-born midfielder was already a huge hit at Sporting Lisbon but the European trophy win put his talents on display at the world’s biggest stage.
David Moyes has stated that his team is unevenly balanced and is currently scouting for a midfielder to add in the upcoming transfer window. West Ham have suffered one of their worst starts to the Premier League campaign this season but have resurrected themselves in recent times. Enjoying a run at the 11th spot of the points table it looks like their relegation worries are behind them at least for the time being.
They were held to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth last weekend and Moyes is preparing to make a signing to address the problematic holding midfield role. Although the side has improved defensively the club is currently overly stacked with strikers who are just collecting cheques with no end results.
Joao Mario will be a prime option to appear next to Mark Noble and control the team’s shape from the centre circle. He will be a quality addition to the squad and Moyes should pursue his signature aggressively now that the January market is closing in fast.
