West Ham in hunt to sign 26y/o Brazilian midfielder, club ready to sell in January – report

West Ham United are showing interest in signing Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz ahead of the January transfer window. 

The Hammers were one of the big spenders in the summer transfer window, but the results have been nowhere near the expected levels.

Julen Lopetegui has constantly come under pressure to keep his job safe, but he could be given funds in January to bolster the squad.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, West Ham and Fulham are interested in signing Luiz in January, and Juventus would be willing to sell him.

The report doesn’t indicate how much the Hammers would need to pay to sign the Brazilian midfielder.

Juventus are looking to sign Feyenoord defender David Hancko in January and could be looking to offload Luiz, Nicolo Fagioli and Samuel Mbangula to free up the space.

Do West Ham need Douglas Luiz in January?

Luiz moved to Juventus in the summer transfer window from Aston Villa for a fee of around £42 million, but the move hasn’t worked out for him.

He has managed only 342 minutes of first-team football under Thiago Motta, and he is way down the pecking order at the Serie A club.

Juventus signed him on a five-year deal in the summer, and it comes as a big surprise that they have given up on him so easily.

Having spent over £100 million in the summer, finances are tight at West Ham in January, and they can only look for bargain signings.

The Hammers are 14th in the league table and have picked up only five wins thus far.

The January window could be crucial for the club. If they can bring in one or two quality players, it might give them the lift to climb up the table.

West Ham probably would need to sign a new striker following the horrific injury to Michail Antonio. They have options in midfield and, at best, can look to sign Luiz on a short-term deal.

Luiz has loads of Premier League experience, but it is unknown whether Juventus would be willing to send him out on loan.